"Conservation Groups Decry Slaying of Two Cambodian Forest Guardians"

"One week ago, two members of a four-person team patrolling for illegal loggers and wildlife poachers in the Preah Vihear Protected Forest in northwestern Cambodia were shot and killed in their sleep, as Mongabay reported. Six men suspected in the murders, including a soldier, were arrested early in the week, but have been charged only with illegal logging for the moment as authorities continue to sift for evidence.

Early last month, representatives of local community groups had warned authorities about increasing forays by illegal logging teams, including members of a local military unit, according to Radio Free Asia.

On Friday, the Environmental Investigation Agency, a nonprofit group, issued an update on the booming trade in illegally harvested rosewood in the region, much of which ends up smuggled into China to supply manufacturers of antique-style furniture. To learn more, read “The Cost of Luxury,” a report released in February by the group Global Witness on timber smuggling operations running between Cambodia and China."

Andrew C. Revkin reports in Dot Earth for the New York Times November 14, 2015.