CHIANG MAI, May 30 -Thai military and forestry officials are continuing to inspect and confiscate more logs from the home of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s sister in Thai northern Chiang Mai province, well into the second day.
Military officers from the 7th Infantry Division and Forestry Officials from the Forest Protection and Fire Prevention Unit inspected house number 39/99 of Wiang Pink Villa housing estate, in Doi Saket’s Talad Kwan subdistrict, belonging to Monthathip Kowitcharoenkul, a sister of self-exiled ex-premier Thaksin, after being tipped off.
Numerous logs were reported hidden at the house, including teak and other rare species of wood, along with 8,000 planks of timber and more than 100 logs of illegal wood.
Forest Protection and Fire Prevention Unit director Apirat Noppakul said the house caretaker showed officials documentation and receipts of the log purchases, which clarified that the house owner has brought the timber more than a year ago from a wood shop in the province for Bt5 million, intended to be used to renovate the home.
However, all the wood has now been confiscated for further investigation by the Forestry Department to determine whether or not any of them were illegally logged. (MCOT )
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