Upcountry police & teak wood...

Short version:

I am at home with the daughter while the wife is upcountry. She is there in order to have the monks bless our land one more time in order to start work on our teak wood guest house.

The teak trees come from a family plot and the prices, well are reasonable.

This past week we had 20 trees cut and placed on our land where the workers began to strip the bark. This wood is for posts and the fence and not actually for the home. The wood for the home actually came from Phrae.

Anyway, the police show up according to the wife. I have been going upcountry for many years and have never seen a policeman. Anyway this cop wants some money or he will turn us in to the gov't regarding the teak trees.

The wife believes that the guys who actually cut the teak trees notified the police.

The family calls their big guy and they are in negotiations now.

Will have to wait and see....

Yeh I would say someone has a bit of a scam going with the cop
We never see a cop in our village unless its pay off day for the card ladys or someone has bashed someone. Becarful you pay once and they might start banging on the door every chance they get. But I genaraly find the coppers out in the sticks easy going guys but I still try and aviod contact with them as much as possible

HillyBilly
downsides of corruption/scamming in the LoS; even though one tries his best to keep nose clean, here trouble, proverbially, is always on the lookout for you...:mad:

If they were'nt registered with the forestry department when they were planted, then it's ilegal to cut and move them. Even if the guy did "notify" the cops he was cutting them it's still ilegal for you to use them without the paperwork. If you are in a diferent area you might well be dealing with diferent cops, if you have to transport ilegal wood it's not unusual to have to pay off cops in lots of different places.

Why are you using new wood for your house HB?

I will be hoping to buy old stuff when I need some, from Phrae too.

HB

If you have a table saw keep it hidden.

The police will be around always asking for cuts of wood. THey are illegal in Thailand.

Got a friend up in NOng Khai with one which he has managed to keep hidden from them for a few years now.

Take care.

hillbilli - u still alive mate?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mrsquirrel

HB

If you have a table saw keep it hidden.

The police will be around always asking for cuts of wood. THey are illegal in Thailand.

Got a friend up in NOng Khai with one which he has managed to keep hidden from them for a few years now.

Take care.

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I thought it was just the chainsaws that were illegal

No apparantely table saws as well.

He had it smuggled in a container containing a tractor.

Brought it up from CHonburi to Nong Khai through police checkpoints telling them it was a water pump.

Here is the deal. One can legally grow and sell Teak wood if they purchase a hammer with a special logo that is used to stamp each log. The old uncle thought one hammer was enough for all of the trees. Technically, he was wrong.

Anyway after two police trucks along with numerous police bikes showing up at the in-laws house asking how much for this cup of tea type of thing, the old man K. Pa got pissed and pissed. Figure it out Brits and Yanks!

He called his 'friend' talked for a minute or two and then handed the phone to the visiting police who then apparently almost shit themselves.

Problem solved. Don't ask me guys. TIT! :)

BTW, the teak wood is being used for the fence (except the gates) and not the house.

Don't worry, less than 2 weeks and I will be on the job site, supervising...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hillbilly

Don't worry, less than 2 weeks and I will be on the job site, supervising...

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God help them! :p

Glad to hear it worked out OK!:party43:

^ can you get me some ? how much per log ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Butterfly

^ can you get me some ? how much per log ?

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Check out the province of Phrae. They offer about the cheapest legal teak wood in Thailand.

<They offer about the cheapest legal teak wood in Thailand>
Cheap...as in how much,please? In 2004 the 'market' price for AA quality teak as opposed to the thin,shriveled,knot-holed slabs from local rice huts were 25,000Baht/cu meter and 3,200Baht/cu foot. Cheers