Police: farmers intended to log
Royal Cambodian Armed Forces soldiers arrested 18 Cambodian farmers trying to cross the border in Oddar Meanchey province to illegally log in Thailand on Saturday. The farmers, between 20 and 40 years old, were travelling in a rented van equipped with axes, saws and other tools, according to Mei Som, the chief of Khnai Russey village. … Som said the arrested farmers also took jobs as construction workers to supplement their income, but logging timber, though illegal and dangerous, could be more lucrative. … Neam Channy, chief of the criminal office in Samrong town, said the farmers were released after they were reprimanded and signed a contract agreeing not to log. …
