Smugglers from China capitalising on turmoil
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Corrupt officials allowing loggers to decimate our forests, locals say
Chinese wood smugglers and local corrupt officials are increasingly taking advantage of the unsettled political situation in the north of Myanmar, locals living in the Myanmar-China border area said.
“We have witnessed logs being piled up in several spots Shweli [Ruili in China]. There seems to be no space left there for more wood. We wonder if there will be any more wood left in Myanmar. About 270 to 300 trucks carrying illegal wood [from Myanmar] are arriving there daily. Myanmar should speak out about this now.
“I feel like they are cutting away our flesh,” one angry local resident said.
Chinese illegal logging became worse since June 2011, after fighting broke out between the Myanmar army and the Kachin Independence Army in Kachin State.
Observers say that the Chinese are exploiting the situation as both Myanmar authorities and ethnic rebels are absorbed in warfare and the lack of rule of law.
Locals say that the Chinese smugglers bribe the local officials to get what they want.
“They come and cut down trees here with their own machines and carry them away in their own trucks.
“They first started illegal logging in Momeik area of Kachin [in northern Myanmar]. Now they have reached Mandalay and Sagaing Divisions [in central Myanmar].
“They do this in broad daylight. You can think of how big some trees are. They usually uproot the trees, and use the trunks for logs and branches for making charcoal. Then, they export logs to Japan and South Korea. They behave with such a shocking audacity,” a local said.
Others living in the area also said that they see trucks carrying logs heading towards Shweli on the China-Myanmar border.
They noted that China strictly regulates illegal logging at home, but does not control the smuggling of wood from Myanmar.
Though the smugglers have to pay 1,200 yuan (Bt5,700) per tonne, but this does not affect their profits as they do not need to pay at the Myanmar side, the locals added.
“I am not sure why the Chinese are smuggling to such an extent. I should ask if there will ever be any wood left in Myanmar.
“China is the world’s second-largest economy. When they focused on industrialisation, their environment got damaged and they suffered the effects of climate change.
“In some cities, fog hangs during the day and the sun cannot be seen until it rains. This is their story. This is their sacrifice for their economic growth.
“Now their businessmen, banned from doing unethical things in their country, try to make their dreams come true in Myanmar.
“They catch the chance. Who will take responsibility when forests are depleted in Myanmar? Forest depletion will damage the environment and Myanmar people will have to suffer from it,” an environmental expert said.
