Anti-loggers concede loss

[ausgeo@xxxxxxx]

16 May 1997 
The Nation 
Anti-loggers concede loss 

MAE HONG SON ­ Admitting defeat, forestry officials here yesterday said they 
will inevitably lose the battle against illegal logging along the Thai-Burmese 
border as the operation involved influential people with vested interests. 

Udom Tarathitikorn, superintendent of the Salween Wildlife Sanctuary, said he 
found another 200 freshly cut teak logs at Huay Kanompuk village in Mae 
Sariang district during a investigation via helicopter along the border forest 
a few weeks ago. But all the logs had disappeared when he returned last week. 

''The log transfer was incredibly fast [as the area is almost inaccessible, 
geographically and politically]. This means the timber traders are 
well-connected with many influential groups in the province," he said. 

Information about the illegal activity was reported to the Royal Forestry 
Department (RFD) last year by a forestry officer who identified himself only 
as ''C5 Paa Mai". The source also claimed that there were many influential 
businessmen and officials involved in the scam, including local police and 
Customs officers, Forestry Industry Office officials, district forestry 
officers, as well as village headmen in the province's Mae Sariang district. 

RFD's Director General Sathit Sawintara admitted in March that the illegal 
operation was possible because senior forestry officials in the province have 
been bribed by logging companies. Earlier, Sathit transferred Jaen Thafong, 
superintendent of the Salween National Park, out of the area. 

Sathit said nearly 2,000 teak logs have been confiscated by his agency since 
last December. Most of the timber, some nearly a century old, was illegally 
cut in the Salween National Park and Salween Wildlife Sanctuary, he said. 

The two forests have a combined area of more than 100,000 rai, which makes it 
the largest source of teak in the country as the species makes up about 70 per 
cent of the flora in the forests. 

Udom said the northern and eastern rims of the wildlife sanctuary, adjacent to 
the Salween River which forms the border between Thailand and Burma, have been 
seriously encroached upon. Most of the forest cover in the area has been 
logged out, he said. 

''It is very risky for us to suppress the illegal logging in the area because 
of its inaccessibility. The only way to enter the area is from the Burmese 
side which is under control of a Karenni military stronghold." 

The Karenni are armed ethnic fighters for autonomy in Burma against the 
military government. Forestry police believe the group also have a vested 
interest in the timber trade in the area. 

''I think, in the end, we will lose the battle to save the forest here. All of 
the forest along the border will go," Udom said. 

The trees were reportedly illegally cut down in Thailand, shipped across the 
Salween River to Burma to be stamped as having ''Burmese origin" and then 
''imported" by Thai companies through three custom checkpoints ­ near Baan Mae 
Sam Lab, Baan Mae Kodtafang and Baan Sao Hin in Mae Sariang district. The 
timber would eventually make its way to Bangkok, a police report said.