Despite allegations of processing illegally logged timber, Angkor Plywood was given a business permit on September 15, 2022, to open a new plywood making facility in Kandal’s Mukh Kampoul district. The document was issued in book 83 of the Royal Gazette, publicly released by the Council of Ministers in May.

The plywood manufacturer has faced persistent allegations of illegal logging in the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary, and has facilities in Kampong Thom, Kratie and Kampong Cham. The allegations stem from one of its directors, Lu Chu Chang, also being the owner of Think Biotech, a timber planting concession that sits to the east of Prey Lang. Angkor Plywood’s website says the company is also involved in planting forests for raw materials.

In 2019, USAID and the European Union delegation in Cambodia alleged that Think Biotech was illegally logging in Prey Lang and processing the timber at a Angkor Plywood facility. At the time, the Environment Ministry initiated an investigation into the allegations.