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Agence France Presse

They both denied conspiring to import and dump 3,000 tonnes of mercury-laden waste from chemical giant Formosa Plastics.

When a port worker died of respiratory illness after unloading the waste, Sihanoukville was gripped by widespread panic and rioting that led to the eventual repacking and export of the consignment.

Phnom Penh businessman Sam Meoun, who is charged with falsifying importation documents and damaging public life, admitted receiving a 12,000 dollar fee to mediate between Formosa Plastics and customs for the import of the waste but denied knowing what the waste contained.

CamControl President Teng Chheng, head of a government body assigned to oversee traffic through the busy port, told the court his duty was to examine "the quantity of goods and not the quality."

Customs director In Saroun and senior customs official Lunch Vannak, not in court because of ill-health, delivered a statement through their lawyers saying it was beyond the "capacity of customs to know if goods are toxic."

Two Taiwanese businessmen and their interpreter failed to show up, but chief prosecutor Mam Mith said they would be tried in absentia.

Under Cambodian law, if the three are convicted an arrest warrant will be issued. The Taiwanese, however, are believed to have returned home and as Phnom Penh does not have formal ties with Taipei their extradition is unlikely.

Tests showed the grey-coloured rubble -- described in import documents as "construction waste" and dumped close to a national park -- contained massive quantities of heavy metals.

Environmental protestors said the consignment was likely to have been compressed ash from an industrial incinerator, and feared deadly dioxins may also have been present. The case sparked widespread public anger against alleged corruption in Sihanoukville, one of Cambodia's undiscovered secrets with its array of undeveloped sandy beaches.

Two human rights workers from the local campaign group Licadho are also facing trial for their alleged role in two days of rioting that left the deputy governors home and customs office wrecked.

The United Nations and Human Rights Watch have called for that case to be dropped, accusing local officials of seeking to intimidate human rights campaigners.

The waste scandal is broadly seen as the tip of the iceberg of illegal goods passing through Sihanoukville, a major trafficking point for items ranging from weapons for Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers to Cannabis and Heroin destined for Europe.