Log import request worries local pe

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

October 19, 1998 							
								
     								


LOGGING

Log import request worries local people
Villagers fear Thai trees may be felled

Onnucha Hutasingh
Cheewin Sattha
Mae Hong Son
A recent request by four Thai firms to import logs from Burma has renewed
fears among local people and some forestry officials that a number of Thai
trees in Mae Hong Son forests may be felled and illegally included in the
imports.
The firms - Thai Korean Veterans' Welfare, B&F Goodrich, SA Pharmaceutical,
and Phol Phana - have entered into a deal with their Burmese counterparts
to have 120,000 cubic metres of logs transported over the border.
Mae Hong Son Governor Samrerng Poonyapakorn, who is now considering the
request, has given an assurance that there would not be a recurrence of the
Salween logging scandal.
However, his assurance could not dispel fears of forest destruction in the
province.
A local forestry official said the request, if approved, would open a
chance for illegal logging groups to fell trees along hauling routes of
logs, most of which pass through the Salween National Park and other forests.
According to the request, the firms sought approval for the opening of six
border passes to facilitate the import of logs.
The six routes are Huay Pheung, Ban Doi Saeng (parts of hauling routes will
pass the Mae Pai National Forest Reserve in Tambon Phang Moo, Mae Hong Son
Muang district), Mae Surin, Huay Ton Nun, Mae Ngao Noi (the routes will
pass Mae Ngao and Mae Surin national forest reserves in Khun Yuam
district), and Na Huay Lerm (the routes will pass Mae Ngao and Mae Surin
national forest reserves and Mae Sampeng forest in Khun Yuam district).
Sources said Burmese authorities have given the green light for the firms'
request to transport logs via the six routes. Normally, Burmese wood will
be delivered via the Rangoon route only. Burma agreed to the request after
the firms reasoned that the logs were piled up near the border and that it
would be more convenient if they were hauled out via the border passes.
Forestry Department director-general Plodprasop Suraswadi said the
department had no plan yet to approve the firms' request as it had to
consider hauling routes first to avoid affecting forest areas.
The National Security Council had earlier suggested that logs should not be
hauled past wildlife sanctuaries and national parks for fear that
unscrupulous logging firms might cut trees along the hauling routes and mix
them up with imported logs.
According to Mr Plodprasop, the council had also suggested the department
introduce a one-stop service where concerned officials from the customs,
forestry and Border Patrol Police departments would jointly inspect the
imported wood.
While the request to import logs was still being considered,
representatives of some of the four firms had tried to lobby provincial
authorities for approval.
Somchai Kiatharnvorakun of the Thai Korean Veterans' Welfare and Somchai
Iewsuay of SA Pharmaceutical Co gave their strong assurance to the Mae Hong
Son governor that none of the trees on Thai soil would be felled.
An official attached to the 336th BPP Unit in Mae Hong Son said approval
for the log imports was not only good news for the four companies but also
for Burmese forces, particularly those responsible for the delivery of logs.
"Approval from Thai authorities for the imports is welcome news for all
Burmese soldiers. Timber firms will pay them a huge sum of money as a
special fee for log hauling," said the official.
A forestry officer from the Mae Hong Son provincial office said large
forest areas and wildlife would be affected if hauling routes proposed by
the firms got approval from the Forestry Department. Many forests along the
routes are rich in flora and fauna.
Approval for the request would encourage massive forest destruction in Mae
Hong Son, which shocked the nation with the Salween logging scandal, he
warned.
Illegal logging reports in the Salween Wildlife Sanctuary and National
Park, which broke out last year, implicated Prawat Thanadkha, then deputy
forestry department chief, and several forestry officials.
Mr Prawat, now dismissed from the department, made headlines after he tried
to donate five million baht packed in an instant noodle box to the
Thai-Help-Thai Fund.
However, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai turned down his offer and called for
an investigation to find the source of the money after learning it was
meant as a bribe for illegal logging in the national park.
Several panels were set up to investigate officials and timber operators
involved in the logging scandal. However, investigations failed to take the
real culprits to task.
To improve the condition of the degraded Salween forest, the Mae Hong Son
provincial forestry office has proposed a six-year reforesation plan at an
estimated cost of 18 million baht.
However, the scheme met with strong protest from tribespeople living near
the forest area. The protesters claimed the right to cultivate the land and
wanted the authorities to scrap the scheme.
The provincial forestry office tried in vain to persuade the protesters to
stop their protest. An offer to hire them as workers in the reforestation
project with a daily wage of 100 baht each was rejected by the protesting
villagers.
Sources said the attempt to sabotage the reforestation scheme stemmed from
the fight for funds for the project between the Mae Sariang forestry office
and the Mae Hong Son provincial forestry office. The Salween National Park
is under the jurisdiction of the two agencies.
According to the source, 20-30 percent of the budget was being siphoned
into the pockets of corrupt officials for every project undertaken in the
province.
Despite efforts to reforest and protect the national park and other forest
reserves in Mae Hong Son, illegal logging is still rampant.
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© Copyright The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 1998
Last Modified: Mon, Oct 19, 1998
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