EIA raises concerns over logging deal in Kayah

22 September 2018
EIA raises concerns over logging deal in Kayah

The London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) is sounding the alarm over what it calls a shadowy agreement made by the Myanmar government to allow the logging and export of 5,000 tons of hardwood timber, including 3,000 tons of highly prized teak, Mongabay.com reported.

In a statement, the EIA says that the timber deal, first reported by local media in Myanmar’s Kayah State, “Will further undermine the Myanmar Government’s stated policy of improving forest governance after decades of mismanagement which have led to the country suffering one of the highest rates of forest loss in the world,” should it be allowed to go through.

According to local reports, the timber is to be harvested in areas under the control of the Karenni National People’s Liberation Front (KNPLF), an armed ethnic organization that now acts as a Border Guard Force (BGF) aligned with the government, and sold through auctions conducted by the Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE), a government agency.