The promise was made after two elderly men were arrested for chopping up a dead Siamese rosewood tree on their land in Maha Sarakham province earlier this month.

“We will try to prevent such cases from recurring,” Athapol Charoenshunsa, a senior official at the department, said yesterday.

“Besides educating the public about tree species they cannot cut, we will also make the regulations clearer for law enforcers,” he said after meeting with the two men along with Tawatchai Thaikyo, deputy permanent secretary of the Justice Ministry.

The ministry is now trying to help Thongsuk Phanchompoo, 80, and his relative Dern Jantakol, 70, get out of legal trouble.

“My dad had never thought that cutting a dead tree could be a crime. He is now worried about being fined or sent to jail,” Thongsuk’s son Pakpoom said.

Thongsuk told officials yesterday that he didn’t even know that the tree had fallen over until the village head mentioned it.

“He told me to remove the dead tree, so, I asked my relative to help cut it up,” the elderly man said.

On December 11, Thongsuk and Dern spent three hours hacking the fallen tree into four pieces.

“The following day, I was a lending a hand at an ordination when the village head told me some officials wanted to interrogate me,” Thongsuk said.

Since 2014, people are banned from cutting a Siamese rosewood tree of commercial value without a permit from authorities.

After Thongsuk confessed to cutting the Siamese rosewood tree, he and his relative were locked up at a police station overnight.

On December 13, the village head testified for them and helped secure their temporary release.

Their ordeal soon caught the attention of media and several authorities.

The Justice Ministry has come forward to help the two elderly men, including helping to arrange yesterday’s meeting.

Athapol said that normally land owners could cut Siamese rosewood trees on their land if they notify officials in advance.

“Investigators also should check the intent of the accused,” he said.

“They had cut just one tree, not many trees.”

Tawatchai said it remained unclear whether police would press charges against Thongsuk and Dern.

If the case is forwarded to public prosecutors, his ministry would provide financial support and lawyers to the two elderly men to fight an indictment.

Government Spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the Justice Ministry’s lawyer would accompany the suspects during police interrogation.

If the case goes to court, state property worth up to Bt80,000 would be posted to bail out the defendants, he said.