KHON KAEN: Thieves cut down and made off with 13 mature payung (rosewood) trees from a agricultural demonstration centre in Ban Phai district of this northeastern province, a village chief said.
The centre is on 374 rai of public land at Moo 2 and Moo 8 villages of tambon Khaen Nua, under the jurisdiction of the Khaen Nua tambon organisation organisation.
There are about 200 payung trees, some planted there and others naturally seeded. The most mature are about 30 years old.
Suthisa Chimluang, 45, chief of Moo 2 village, told reporters that mature payung trees were felled and stolen on two occasions - six on the night of Oct 15 and seven on the night of Oct 31. She said the stolen trees were fully mature and worth "millions" of baht.
Ms Suthisa said the thefts were believed to have been committed by the same gang. Complaints were filed with Ban Phai police.
"Villagers said they saw a six-wheel truck loaded with tree trunks leave the demonstration plot on each occasion. Police have been asked to take action to prevent a repetition of the theft," she said.
Rosewood is the general name for reddish woods used for making high-quality furniture and cabinets. Siamese rosewood (Dalbergia cochinchinensis), or payung in Thai, belongs to the same Leguminoceae family as pradoo (Pterocarpus indicus).
Both are hardwoods and valued not just for making furniture and cabinets but also for musical instruments and decorative veneer.
