The Forest Protection Department is investigating the origin of three giant trees which have just been seized while being transported for sale.

The giant trees were seized in Thua Thien - Hue Province on March 30

Head of the Forest Protection Department, Do Quang Tung, told Dtinews on April 1 that they were working with forest rangers in the central highlands province of Dak Lak to track the origin of the trees and would give appropriate punishment if they were taken from local forests.

"It is ok if they were taken from someone's garden but if they were from forests then the owner and the transport company must provide the relevant papers."

The giant trees were seized on March 30 by transport police in the central province of Thua Thien - Hue who gave a fine of nearly VND82 million (USD3,613) to the Hai Son Transport Company for violating freight size regulations.

Nguyen Dai Anh Tuan, head of the Thua Thien-Hue Provincial Department of Forest Protection said that it would be easy to trace the origins of the trees by working with the transportation company but the driver had fled when they arrived on April 1.

The trees were earlier seen on Phuong Hoang Hill which connects Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa provinces

In an interview with the Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper on April 2, director of Hai Son Company, Nguyen Hai Son, said that they were hired by a pagoda in Hanoi to transport the trees from Dak Lak Province to Hanoi.

"A nun from the pagoda went with us on the truck," Son was quoted as saying with the Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper. "After the trees were seized, we had worked with the pagoda's representative and transferred the trees to them."

Earlier several newspapers reported about the three giant trees being transported on the National Road 1 from Dak Lak Province without being stopped by authorities for violating traffic rules.

After the news went viral on local media, the trucks were stopped by transport police in Thua Thien - Hue Province on March 30.

Dtinews