A Cambodian court Monday charged 15 Thai nationals with offenses related to illegal logging, court officials said.
"This morning we charged 15 Thais with illegal entry into Cambodia, destruction of state assets and illegal transportation of forest assets," municipal court deputy prosecutor Ngeth Sarath said.
One Vietnamese national and seven Cambodians will face the same charges, he said.
"If convicted these people will receive punishments between three to six months (in jail) for illegal entry and one to three years for destruction of state assets," he said.
The suspects also could face fines of double or triple the amount of transported illegal forest assets that were confiscated, the prosecutor said.
A thorough investigation of the case will now be conducted, he said.
Last week the suspects were arrested by Cambodian paratroopers in a surprise raid near the border.
Squads of paratroopers rappelled from two helicopters in a dramatic raid on the border of Koh Kong and Pursat provinces near the Thai border in western Cambodia.
Twenty-three people were caught and some 1,000 cubic meters of logs recovered in the operation.
Under pressure from international donors, who provide almost half the government budget each year, Cambodia has embarked on a sweeping forestry reform program which involves ending illegal logging and tightening restrictions on legal logging operations.
Prime Minister Hun Sen last week warned his officials to step down from their positions if they were involved in the case. So far no high-ranking officers have been found to be involved.
However, conservation groups and foreign governments have been critical of the pace of reform -- PHNOM PENH (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
