Over 1,400 tons of illegal timber seized in Mandalay amid Covid-19 outbreak

Over 1,400 tons of illegal timber seized in Mandalay amid Covid-19 outbreak
Authorities inspect seized illegal timbers
Authorities inspect seized illegal timbers
Published 26 May 2020
Min Lat

Over 1,458.77 tons of illegal timber were seized in Mandalay Region from January to May 21 this year, according to Mandalay Region Forest Department.

The seized illegal timbers were 253.97 tons of teak, 215.92 tons of hard wood and 988.87 tons of other kinds of timber.

Zaw Win Myint, director of the department, said cooperation of other departments and taking action against smugglers in accord with the law would greatly reduce illegal logging and smuggling.

The seizures were made through cooperation with the Township General Administration Department, Police Force and the Forest Department. There were 421 smuggling cases in which 120 smugglers were arrested together with 66 kinds of machinery. Illegal timbers come to Mandalay Region mostly from Sagaing Region and Shan State. Mandalay sees few cases of smuggling valuable teak and Pyinkadoe.

“We are not making special arrests in the Covid-19 period. In this open season, timbers are smuggled into Mandalay mostly out of Shan State and Sagaing Region,” Zaw Win Myint said.

In Mandalay Region, authorities seized 8,417.627 tons of logs and timber from 2016-2017 fiscal year to 2018-2019 fiscal year.