Lao loggers backed by corrupt officials pillaged Champassak forests in July
Illegal logging in southern Laos’ Champassak province was particularly devastating on forests in July, according to a local police officer, who said businessmen working in tandem with high-ranking officials raced to cut timber in the region ahead of the start of the rainy season.
The police officer, who spoke to RFA’s Lao Service on condition of anonymity, said that logging trucks bearing both Lao and Vietnamese registrations, and carrying both legal and illegal loads, can be seen at all times throughout central and southern Laos hauling timber into neighboring Vietnam.
