Thai Navy arrested four Cambodian's for illegal rosewood

Chon Buri (The Nation/ ANN)  -- The Thai Navy has seized a Cambodian boat and arrested four Cambodian crew-members for allegedly trying to smuggle Bt10 million worth of processed wood, belonging to a protected tree species.

The arrests were made early  Sunday morning.

HTMS Chao Phraya from the First Naval Area spotted the suspicious boat off Rayong's coast near the Jasmine oil field in the Gulf of Thailand.

The boat tried to speed away, prompting HTMS Chao Phraya to take chase and arrest the four Cambodian crew-members.

Navy officers boarded the vessel and found 296 pieces of Payung rosewood, a native hardwood tree that is protected against logging. The pieces were hidden in the frozen storage chambers of the fishing boat.