Corruption and illegal activity to the highest level?

Tuesday, December 12, 2006
R'kiri Logger Claims Gov't Ties, Demands Wood Back

By Thet Sambath
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

A man claiming to be related to a top-tier government official has demanded that officials in Ratanakkiri province return a truck-load of timber that they confiscated from him in the early hours of Monday morning, a provincial official said. The man has also told officials that he paid $5,000 to police, military police and forestry officials to secure the safe passage of his timber to Phnom Penh, deputy provincial governor Bou Lam said. Bou Lam added that he has since been telephoned by a woman from Phnom Penh, claiming to be the sister of the same senior government official and also demanding the release of the timber. The Interior Ministry has told Bou Lam to arrest the man for masquerading as a relative of a senior official, he said, though he has not done so. "I just told him he had to stop it," Bou Lam said, adding that he was uncertain of whether to believe the man's claims of blood ties to the highest levels of government Moul Samvaing, a forestry official in Banking, said the timber is being kept at his office. "We sent a report to upper leaders so they can make a decision," he said.

[KI-Media Note: According to RFA, the owner of the wood claims to be related to Prime Minister Hun Sen]