The plundering of Burma’s forests

(Kaowao News)

“Leave the forests alone,” says Mr. Nai Htaw Ong, a young environmentalist from central Mon State to Kaowao recently. “Destroying our environment will destroy our home.”

The clear cutting of tropical rainforest in lower Burma has occurred for many centuries, but it is only in the past ten years that logging has increased dramatically for short-term profit to finance war and violence. Ceasefire groups and the State Peace Development Council use money from logging to finance their military expenditures. Ripping down forests to search for rebel groups has been another reason for the destruction of the forests, but logging forms the most important direct threat to Burma’s forests.

Former SPDC forestry department workers and some local people worry that deforestation on such a scale will have negative effects on the environment, in particular, soil erosion and sedimentation that will affect living conditions and agriculture production. The activists are not able to voice their concerns to the SPDC and the companies who make a profit, says Mr. Nai RoTha, a former township agriculture worker from central Mon State to a Kaowao reporter.

There is no sustainable forest/land policy in cutting timber and no wildlife protection to enforce the rules. The forestry departments in lower Burma have no authority to protect the forest from logging, the departments cannot challenge their senior military commanders, says the former forestry department director in Pegu Division, Mr. Nai Mya Aung.

“The commanders order the departments to issue permission to their cronies to cut down the trees. The departments cannot say anything against their senior commanders,” he added.

Environmental researchers based along the border and the liberated areas are growing increasingly concerned over the situation. Even if stricter laws were enforced many wonder about the consequences of the deforestation.

In Mon State:  The SPDC allows the New Mon State Party 5000 tons of timber every year as per their cease-fire agreement. The NMSP contracts out to the biggest private logging firm in Burma, the Htoo Company Ltd. Nobody knows exactly on how much timber is cut by the company and where it goes.

In the deep forest of eastern Ye Township, heavy deforestation has been considerable; the forest in Mon State has been nearly wiped out over the past decade because of the ceasefire. Many local people worry that deforestation has dried up mountain streams in which soil, no longer held in place by tree roots, are clogging up the streams beds.

For the construction of a new military offensive road from Ye township to the border crossing in 2001, the dense forest for 60 miles was ripped down by the SPDC to prevent rebels from hiding and launching a surprise attack, the same reason on why thousands of acres of forested land all over Burma have been torn down. The road was used to search for the Mon splinter group, the Hongsarwatoi Restoration Party, who split from New Mon State party in 2001.

In Karen State, the SPDC also gives free rein to its military ally or its militia force, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), the Karen splinter armed group, to log as a special gift. Much of the deep forests in two parts of Karen State in Dawna mountain and the Three Pagodas Pass have been ruthlessly ripped down over the past 15 years. The area covers the southern mountain range of the Thai Burma border and constitutes an eco-region which contains the highest diversity of both bird and animal species in the Indo-Pacific region. There are many kinds of species of wildlife including tigers, elephants, and bears.

Mon monks in Mon and Karen States negotiate with the leader of DKBA, Abbot U Thuzana, who led the Buddhist armed group, to get permission to transport logs for temple construction. Northeastern Mon State relies on timber felled within the DKBA strong hold area, says a Mon monk from Gyine community between Mon and Karen States.

The timber is usually transported from Karen State to Mon State by the Salween River and Martaban sea routes. The Buddhist armed group gives priority to Buddhist monks to build temples, sources say.

In Kyar Inn Seik Kyi township area alone, there are about 200 tons of logs felled by the Karen ceasefire group DKBA on a daily basis. The logs have been transported to inside Burma and to the border town, Three Pagodas Pass. There are about 200 furniture industries in the Three Pagodas Pass, which relies on the timber.

The logs in Dona mountain range along the Thai- Burma border and Three Pagodas Pass area are under the control of KNU and the illegal logging businessmen pay tax to the Karen armed group, says a Mon businessman, Nai Ong.

DKBA members and some of their partners involved in the illegal logging business have approached KNU, sources from the border said. Most of the big trees are under the control of the KNU.

Mon businessmen said that most of the big trees are gone and small trees are now being felled. During the summer season it is easy to transport the logs on ten wheelers compared to the rainy season when logs are transported by boat. The illegal logging businessmen pay tax to cross the checkpoints of KNU, DKBA, NMSP and SPDC.

In Tenasserim Division, the SPDC local commanders, Mon and Karen ceasefire groups and some companies are involved in the illegal logging business. Most of the money goes to financing their weapons and supplies purchase in which the timber in the deep forest of Ye Byu Township is being plundered. Most of timber from the area is transported to central Burma and the border town of Kaw Thaung, opposite Ranong where it is dumped and then sent across the border into Thailand, says a Mon business man.

The SPDC’s crony firms implemented the mono cropping of oil palm trees in 1998 as part of a project scheduled to be finished by 2008. 20 companies such as Htoo, Asia Group, Shwe Than Lwin, Tayzakabar, and Kanbawza share 600,000 acres of land in the Division, a SPDC former township manager from Klein Aung of Ye Byu township, Tenasserim Division said. The forest in the area was cut and burned down to make way for mono crops. At the moment, only 160,000 acres of land is being used and another 340,000 acres of land will be set aside for future agribusiness deals among the group.

In the eastern part of Ye Byu Township, Tenasserim alone, there are over 36 sawmills and over 1500 families working in the illegal logging industry. They earn 1500 to 2000 Kyats daily. They are ethnic Mon, Karen, Tavoyan and Burman.

To transport timber from the deep forest to the sawmills in the area, trucks, elephants, oxen, buffalo and human labor are used. Some young people under 18 work under dangerous conditions to make a living. Mr. Nai Nay Zaw Aung aged 16, lost his leg due to a rafting accident when transporting the logs.

Many say that deforestation in Tenasserim Division resulted in the water crisis last year, in which the local people in Ye Byu Township had to dig into a stream to get drinking water. “Last summer, we have to dig into the stream to get water that was the first time we had a water crisis. We have traditionally relied on mountain stream water to fulfill our basic needs,” Nai Buu said.

The current price of one ton of timber in Mon State is around four to five hundred thousand Kyats, sources from central Mon State say. However, the price at the border town, Three Pagodas Pass, is 4,800 and 5,000 Baht. one Baht is 27 Kyats in exchange rate recently.

In Pegu Division, the timber from the Pegu mountain range is transported to Mon State at roughly 200 tons daily. The northern part of Mon State, such as Kyaik Hto (Kyaik Htaw), Paung and Bee-lin township use timber from the area, Mr. Nai Rot, a young Mon community worker from Paung Township says.

Yadana gas pipeline from Tanasserim Division to Karen State and Thailand State, to transport 220 miles of gas through a pipeline from the Yadana gas station in Tenasserim Division to Thailand, several thousand tons of trees were felled to make clearance at 100 feet around the pipeline. Also, trees were felled so that the Myaing Kalay cement factory could be built in Karen State.

Wood-fuel problem in Lower Burma

Asia accounts for 46% of world production of wood-fuel and in Burma environmentalists roughly estimate that per capita consumption is at a high level in Burma, in which there are no official statistics. In addition to forested areas, other wooded land all over lower Burma is also under threat; villagers use fuel-wood (wood for direct use as fuel and for conversion into charcoal) as the main source of household energy. One family consumes about two or tree tons of wood-fuel per year, says Nai Rotha. Some parts of lower Burma plant quick growth trees on their farms to use in cooking, since there are no small trees in their area.

The people cannot use the natural gas that flows directly in front of their villages. A lot of labour goes into growing trees for cooking to solve the fuel problem. Some people, who live along the coast, collect wood floating in the ocean.

In Kyaik Maraw Township, Mon State, SPDC local commanders gave permission to the local people to collect wood from the forest to make charcoal, which is transported to urban cities.

For building military camps

To build new battalions in Mon State, SPDC soldiers use trees including those in family owned gardens, “They cut down all the big trees,” sources from the area said. There are at least 20 new battalions in Mon State in Ye township.  The timber is not only used to build military camps, but to sell to local people to finance their expenditures as part of the SPDC’s self sufficient policy in which the commanders need two millions Kyats to manage their battalion for one year.

SPDC commanders order local people to collect timber from each village to build military camps and new schools in southern Ye township, a Mon community leader from the area said under the condition of anonymity. The people go in their own garden to cut all the big trees down on orders from the local commanders. Each village pays at least ten tons of logs per year. There are about 20 villages in southern Ye township area.

Railroad construction

The building of the railroad between Mon State and Tenasserim Division during 1996-1994 has also contributed to deforestation in this area; trees all along the road were felled. Thousands of people from Mon State and Tenasserim Division were forced to chop down trees, clear away bush, and dig mines in the mountain by hand.

Extension of Rubber Plantation scheme

The SPDC has plans to use 30,000 acres for rubber plantations in Mon State by next year, says a young Mon businessman from central Mon State. Per acre, the land for rubber plantation is worth between 20,000 and 100,000 Kyats. Mon State has 300,000 acres of rubber plantations. The owners are starting to clear away the land for growing rubber trees. The area is situated between Mon State and Karen State.

“We cannot live on democracy. It is not enough for us just trying to get democracy. We must protect our environment; this is our life, our future. We must encourage everyone to fight against the destruction of our forests,” says Nai Raejae, a young Mon environmentalist from Ye township.

---

 

ISLAND DWELLERS TO BE AFFECTED BY SALWEEN DAM PROJECT

(Kaowao: July 12, 2005)

 

Mon farmers who live on small islands along the coast will be affected by the construction of the Salween dam, says an environmental activist team after doing research on the outcome of the construction.

 

“There are over 20 small islands near the capital of Mon Sate, Moulmein ,” the activist team leader said.  “We are able to make a living on this farm land and we don’t have to go to neighboring country Thailand ,” he quoted one Mon farmer as saying.

 

These islands are in Moulmein and Paung townships, Mon State .  There are over 2000 households on the islands and each island is home to approximately about 100 households.  The majority of the island dwellers are Mon. 

 

“They are not aware that the dam construction will totally affect their traditional natural resource-based livelihood.  They have no other skills with which to subsist on other than farming, their traditional way of life with be destroyed by the construction,” he added.

 

Geographically, these islands are located near to the mouth of the Salween River .  The Salween flows north to south through Karen and Mon State where many Mon, Karen, and other ethnic people live in southern Pha Ann Township , such as Thong Ang (Htone Ai in Burmese) and the capital of Karen State , all of which will be affected by the dam construction. 

 

“We will surely be affected by the dam construction,” said a Mon community leader from Thong Ang to Kaowao. Thong Ang, located along the Salween River , has 3000 households with over 90% Mon; the other groups are Burman and Karen.

 

“We can only grow food on about two and a half or three acres in which we earn roughly two hundred thousand Kyats per year. Then depending on market forces bring home about one hundred thousand Kyats in total,” a Mon farmer said. 

 

According to the Mon environment activist and community leaders, the water level will be low if the dam is constructed, the irrigation system managed by the local people will be disrupted and the farmers will face difficulty in their plantations.  In particular, several Mon villages in Karen state situated along the river will be displaced after the construction, the watershed area will be severely affected and the farmers will receive no compensation for the loss of traditional resources. 

 

Mon farmers have lived on the islands for years as subsistence farmers living on vegetables and fruit.

 

---

FOREST AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT NOT A CONCERN

(By Banya Toay; June 20, 2004)

 

The cease fire group have been involved in the illegal logging business in Tenasserim Division, southern Burma reports the local community.

 

Nai Ong Lawi, a Mon teacher from Ye Byu Township says since last year two Karen cease-fire groups that have a tight working relationship with the BA have been ripping down the forest bit by bit for easy money.

 

The two groups Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and KPF (Karen Peace Force), Lawi said, are freed from paying taxes or pay less when charged by the Forestry Department and Military Intelligence.  Some other dealers who have a good relationship with the Army also get tax breaks.

 

“Every village in Ye Byu Township has at least two sawing machines which are used for cutting down trees, sawing and trimming,” he added.

 

During the rainy season the loggers haul the logs down from the deep forest using elephants, loaded onto bamboo rafts and transported to the villages, situated along Mon State-Tenasserim Division motor road Ye-Tavoy.  Harvesting and pulling logs from the jungle is dangerous work for the loggers as the stream is too small and has a strong current besides, losing control of the logs can cause serious problems when logs are maneuvered onto the bamboo rafts.

 

The SPDC junta’s Forestry Department in Ye Byu Township collects roughly between 40,000 and 50,000 Kyats in taxes for a truck carrying ten tons of logs.  The department and the local Military Intelligence (MI) illegally charge most of the taxes.

 

According to a Mon community leader, the senior members from the department lack forest management capabilities, do not dare go into areas under the control of armed rebels and have no political will or idea of the damage being done to the forest and wildlife.

 

The logging trucks pay about 300,000 Kyats to pass through checkpoints on the way to Mon State from Ye Byu Township. There are four SPDC checkpoints along the way; one at the boundary of Mon State , LIB No.229 gate and the other two military gates in Ye township.

 

The logging dealers also pay the cease-fire New Mon State Party (NMSP) about 20,000 Kyats for one truck. Nai Blai, one of the dealers said that some NMSP members have been involved in the illegal logging business for some time.

 

The local communities are disappointed with the logging business because the people in this area subsist on wild animals and search for food in the forest.  “Over the past twenty years there were many areas where we could easily find animals to hunt, but now animals are difficult to find, there is no more now,” said Amaung a local hunter who used to hunt wild pig, various monkey species, and tigers.

 

Monkey (Gang in Mon language) are extinct in this area after the high rate of deforestation and over-hunting for over five years now, said Nai Cay Mon, an environmentalist.  “The weather in Ye Byu Township has gradually changed, it is different from last year and the water in the stream is getting more shallow.

 

“Our villagers (Kwan Rot Ta mah) have to dig a canal in the deep stream to keep water in summer.  In the past, this stream was deep and clean throughout the whole year.  The summers are longer and hotter than before,” observed a village headman in Ye Byu.

---

KAOWAO NEWS GROUP

Email: kaowao@hotmail.com , Kaowao@gmail.com, kaowao@telus.net

Phone: + 66 81 561-0860, 66 85 289 5376, 66 87 926 7519 ( Thailand )

+ 1 403 248-2027 ( Canada )

Mailing address

P.O. Box 28
Sangkhlaburi
Kanchanaburi, 71240
Thailand

http://www.kaowao.org
http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1215&lo=d&sl=0
Online Burma Library -- http://www.burmalibrary.org

ABOUT US

Kaowao Newsgroup is committed to social justice, peace, and democracy in Burma. We hope to be able to provide more of an in-depth analysis that will help to promote lasting peace and change within Burma.  Editors, reporters, writers, and overseas volunteers are dedicated members of the Mon activist community based in Thailand.

Our motto is working together for change and lasting peace.