A high quantity of valuable illegally logged timber has been seized by officials in the southern provinces in the first quarter of this financial year.
Illegal logging remains a major challenge for custom sofficials in the south of Laos .
The timbers seized include pterocarpus macrocarpus, rosewood and other trees in the same family.
Some 214 cubic metres of timber were seized in Saravan province in the one-month period from December to January this year, according to a customs official working in Saravan, Champassak, Xekong and Attapeu provinces.
The official, Mr Saly Khamphong, said the latest seizure found the timber was being transported north accompanied with a fake authorisation document.
He said customs officials often found the transported goods did not match those identified in the accompanying document.
The transporter responsible for the most recently seized timber claimed the goods were headed to a wood-processing factory in Vientiane.
But in reality the timber was bound for either the northern provinces or neighbouring countries.
Mr Saly said the customs officials were able to seize the illegal wood thanks to good citizens who acted as watchdogs and provided useful information about the illicit activity.
Illegal timber traders have to pay 10 percent of the value of the goods as a fine and the wood itself is confiscated.
Customs collected around 10 billion kip in fines in the first quarter of the financial year.
Mr Saly said a small minority of illegal timber transporters managed to evade checks. Most freight the goods via Road No. 13.
Illegal timber trading has not stopped despite the government conducting inspections of processing factories around the country and instructing them to sell off their stockpiles.
