Kachin illegal timber transfer to be debated in Parliament

Kachin illegal timber transfer to be debated in Parliament

Published on Wednesday, 25 December 2013 18:16

Logs seen at the Nanhai timber ground, 50 miles from Mansi Township, Kachin State.

NAY PYI TAW—A proposal to speedily transport more than 3,000 tonnes of illegal logs to China from the Nanhai timber ground in Kachin State will be discussed at the upcoming Union Assembly parliament session to be held in the second week of January, Upper House MP San Pyae (Moekaung) told Eleven Media yesterday.

The Upper House MP raised the issue after seeing a large heap of logs while visiting IDP camps for donation purposes after skirmishes between government troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) broke out recently in Mansi Township, Kachin State.

"The amount of the logs may have been more than 3,000 tonnes. They were piled in an open field of about 10 acres. The logs were destined for China. In October, the government army confiscated these logs and arrested the people involved in the incident. At the upcoming Union Assembly, a proposal to prevent deforestation will be submitted and discussed. The illegal route for log exports runs through the KIA's controlled area," the Upper House MP told Eleven Media.

Many of the illegal logs were exported to China following skirmishes between the Tatmadaw and the KIA in Kachin State during 2011. Local residents say that the region where the illegal logs were seen was under the control of the KIA from 2011 until mid-October this year.

Reached for comment by Eleven Media, the Kachin State Forest Department replied that there was very little logging during October. A new road had to be built in order to transport the logs. Construction of the road began on December 15.

"We received an official letter. We measured the logs for three to four days in this region and the measurement came in at 401.6 tonnes. The staff had to receive safety instructions in case bombs were planted near the log heaps. We had a plan to transport these logs to Myanmar Timber Enterprises in Bhamo," said Than Htay, director of the Forest Department for Kachin State.

"Now the army is guarding the logs. These logs came from Sagaing Region and northern Shan State. Eastern Kachin State has almost run out of valuable timber. Among the types of logs, teak, Tamalan and Padauk are the first class wood that China prefers."

Than Htay added that the army is currently blocking the transport route, which leads to China through Nanhai from Kaunglwin and Manweingyi.

"The one-tonne price in China is about Ks 4 million. We knew that an official letter regarding wildlife risks was sent to China, but we haven't heard about the timber," Than Htay continued.

"The reasons for deforestation in Kachin include excessive logging, chopping the trees for hill-side cultivation, firewood use, a lack of rule of law, and weak prohibition for logging so that ethnic armed groups can raise more revenue. The forest department finds it difficult to control these areas, but it managed to inspect the logs in October."

MP Tun Kyaing (Mansi Township) told Eleven Media that illegal timber has been exported to China since about 1987.

"Mansi ran out of valuable timber due to excessive logging for a few years after 2000. The forest staff was involved in the logging together with the government army and ethnic armed groups. These illegal log exports were good only for a handful of people, but most have had to face environmental impacts. Therefore, we all need to conserve the forests," said Tun Kyaing.

Local residents from a village where the illegal log exports originated have told Eleven Media that the owner is from China.

"The army and KIA worked this timber logging by paying revenues," said one. "The type of timber China likes is no longer available in Kachin State. So the logs have to be carried from Sagaing Region and northern Shan State. In China, the one-tonne price for teak is about Ks 4 million. The one-tonne price for "Tamalan" timber is about Ks 5-6 million. The main routes to China are Lwejel and Nantaung."

Kachin State has more than 4.9 million acres of forest. But the state is facing a shortage of forest resources. This is due to the many acres of forest that have been cleared by companies to do farming, the expansion of hill-side cultivation for local people, nearly three decades of timber trafficking to China, firewood use, and China's purchase of wild animals to develop traditional medicines.

The Nanhai timber ground lies about 50 miles from Mansi Township.

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/kachin-illegal-timber-transfer-to-be-debated-in-parliament/