VietNamNet Bridge - More than 100 timber trucks carrying timber imported from Laos have been waiting for six to 10 days at the Lao Bao international border gate in the central province of Quang Tri, due to new regulations of the Ministry of Finance on timber inspection.

A company based in Hanoi which imported 300 m3 of timber from Laos has waited for 10 days.

"The wood is worth VND8 billion ($400,000) and it was bought with loans, at a monthly lending rate of 1%. We also have to pay for the drivers, and the vehicle hiring fees which costs us several million dong per day," said the company’s director, who requested anonymity.

To quickly inspect the goods, dozens of cranes have been mobilized to Lao Bao border gate to load wood.

According to the local customs body, the slow clearance for timber is caused by the implementation of the new regulations of the Ministry of Finance, under which wood is inspected very carefully.

Customs staffs have to measure each stick of wood, which is time-consuming. Previously, four customs employees could inspect two to five batches of wood per day but now the volume is only one batch.

The situation is similar at the international border gate of La Lay in Đakrông district, Quang Tri. The new Customs Law stipulates clearance time from eight hours up to two days, but the new rules make this impossible.

Customs officers have proposed inspections of wood importers who have committed violations.