Five individuals charged with cutting down three ancient fir trees.

(Baonghean.vn) - Mr. Dang Van Hieu, Deputy Head of Que Phong District Police, said: On July 9th, Que Phong District Police initiated legal proceedings and temporarily detained 5 individuals for cutting down ancient fir trees on charges of violating regulations on forest protection and exploitation.

The identities of the five individuals charged are: Luong Van Tam (born 1975), Vi Van Hoai (born 1979), Lu Van Duong (born 1976), Vi Van Binh (born 1994), all residing in Thong Thu commune (Que Phong district), and Cao Minh Quyet (born 1986), residing in Chau Cuong commune, Quy Hop district.

Upon receiving reports of a group of illegal loggers exploiting timber in the Pù Hoạt nature reserve, an inter-agency task force comprising the Que Phong District Police, Forest Rangers, reserve officials, the military, and local authorities organized a patrol.

At noon on July 3, 2015, in plot 11, sub-area 59, within the Pù Hoạt Nature Reserve, 1,020 meters from the Vietnam-Laos border, a task force caught five individuals – Luong Van Tam, Vi Van Hoai, Lu Van Duong, Vi Van Binh, and Cao Minh Quyet – red-handed using chainsaws to cut down three red fir trees (scientific name: Sa moc dau, belonging to the rare Group 2A). Of the three trees being cut, two had already fallen and were being sawn into planks, while the third was being cut but had not yet fallen. All were fir trees hundreds of years old.

Two fir trees have been felled and sawn into planks.

According to Mr. Dang Van Hieu, Deputy Chief of Police of Que Phong District: All five suspects were apprehended red-handed on the spot. The seized items included a chainsaw, a blade, a chain hoist, and a winch.

The three red fir trees that the perpetrators felled had diameters of 2.5 - 2.7m and lengths of 35 - 40m. The estimated total volume of wood harvested from these three fir trees by the illegal loggers is over 200m³.³.

At the police station, all five suspects confessed to the crime and stated that if they had successfully cut down the three fir trees, they would have used a winch to haul them across the border and sell them to dealers in Laos for approximately 8 million VND per meter.³.

After gathering evidence, on July 9, 2015, the Que Phong District Police issued a decision to initiate criminal proceedings and indict the aforementioned group of illegal loggers on the charge of "Violating regulations on the protection and exploitation of forest products".

Phuong Nguyen