Myanmar seized 35000 tons of illegal timber over past nine months

Myanmar seized 35,000 tons of illegal timber over past nine months

Published on Sunday, 19 January 2014 22:19

Myanmar authorities confiscated around 35,000 tonnes of illegal timber and wood products, including 5,000 tonnes of teak, from April to December last year, according to government's data.

The seized timber included 5,141.8875 tonnes of teak, 6,066.7399 tonnes of hard wood, 11,379.219 tonnes of other kinds of timber and 10,883 tons of charcoal.

Together with those timber and timber products seized, 1155 items of machines, vehicles, power boats, motorcycles and engines were also confiscated.

According to the environmental conservation and forestry ministry, most of the illegal timber was seized from Kachin and Shan states along the China-Myanmar border, which usually lack regional stability.

"Parts of Kachin and Shan states bordering China lack security and the rule of law. Taking advantage of this, some are illegally cutting and smuggling out valuable timber like teak," said a ministry official on condition of anonymity.

The joint general secretary of Myanmar Timber Entrepreneurs Association said timber smuggling there was involved in two factors- local consumption and illegally exports of timber via border routes.

"Timber smuggling is carried out in two ways. They are to meet the local consumption target and to smuggle it out through border. Even though Myanmar Timber Enterprise has said how timber must be produced with the existing rules and laws, timber smuggling has not decreased yet," said joint general secretary Bar Bar Cho.

He also said the ministry needed to take more systematic measures against illegal timber production.

"Some timber smuggling cases occur due to domestic requirements. There will be no such cases if the local consumption is met. The smuggling can decrease if we sell timber-substitute products at cheap prices and if the government, civil society organisations and media are to cooperatively give educative talks in villages," said Bar Bar Cho.

Reports released by WFP and UNEP say Myanmar is the worst defrosted country in the regional countries. Such deforestation stems from illegal timber cutting, illegal farming and production of firewood and charcoal.

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/myanmar-seized-35000-tons-of-illegal-timber-over-past-nine-months/