Chiang Rai orking with soldiers from the Pha Muang Task Force, had set up a road checkpoint on the Ban Tha Charoen road in Si Don Chai Subdistrict, Chiang Khong District.
The pickup, an Isuzu in silver-bronze with Chiang Rai registration plates and a cargo box fitted to the back, approached the checkpoint area while travelling on the Chiang Khong to Thoeng route, heading towards the Thai-Lao border along the Mekong River.
Before reaching the checkpoint, the driver suddenly turned off at speed onto the Chiang Khong to Wiang Kaen road. Officers noticed the suspicious move and gave chase.
The vehicle made it as far as Pak Ing village (Moo 2) in Si Don Chai before it lost control on a bend. It crashed through a fence and slammed into the concrete wall of a house, leaving the wall cracked and a wooden door torn free. The damage was severe, but nobody was inside at the time, as the owner was away on business in another province.
The pickup’s front end was badly wrecked, leaving it unable to continue. Two people who were in the vehicle got out and ran into the darkness, leaving the vehicle behind.
During a search, officers found a wallet containing an ID card showing the holder as a resident of Hang Dong District, Chiang Mai. Police also reported that the vehicle is registered to someone in Mae Chan District, Chiang Rai.
Inside the cargo box, officers discovered the Rosewood timber cut into 26 flat planks. The seized timber and vehicle were handed over for further action, with local forest protection officials notified. Investigators at Chiang Khong Police Station are now working to track down the two suspects and prosecute them under the law.
Rosewood (Phayung) Protected
Rosewood—specifically Siamese rosewood (Dalbergia cochinchinensis, known in Thai as “phayung” or พะยูง)—is a protected species in Thailand, including in Chiang Rai province
Chiang Rai sits in northern Thailand and lies within the natural range of rosewood species found in the country, mainly across the north, north-east, and east. Some protected areas, such as Mae Puem National Park, list rosewood as part of their native tree mix.
At the same time, illegal logging still happens in northern provinces. High-value rosewoods, including Siamese rosewood and related species such as Burmese rosewood, are often targeted, with arrests and timber seizures reported in nearby places like Lampang and Chiang Mai.
Thailand’s national rules apply everywhere, so cutting or trading rosewood without permission is illegal in any province, including Chiang Rai. Strong demand, largely linked to buyers in China and the luxury furniture trade, keeps poaching going even with strict protections.
Since 2018, landowners can legally harvest rosewood grown on private, registered land, but trees growing wild or as natural forest stock remain fully protected.
