Amid the chaos of the brutal military coup in Myanmar and despite previous crackdowns on illegal timber trafficking over its border with China, EIA has established that a major new criminal syndicate is operating the trade
The crackdown on Myanmar teak in the Netherlands has expanded to include criminal prosecutions against a range of companies and individuals, EIA has learnt
EIA’s Forests team has been working on the ground in Myanmar since the country began to emerge from under the shadow of brutal military dictatorship in 2011, exposing illegal timber trade and helping to provide the tools for meaningful reform of its natural resources sector – but all that changed with the coup on 1 February
This Sunday (21 March) is the International Day of Forests, a chance to celebrate the incalculable importance of these magnificent natural habitats around the world
On 1 February, the Myanmar military (also known as the Tatmadaw) overthrew the Government of the country and arrested its leadership, events which radically altered the context for addressing the problem of illegal timber sourced from the country
With grave concern that the profits from Myanmar timber exports are going into the pockets of the military junta responsible for the country’s ongoing violent coup, new analysis has now identified a pattern of timber tax evasion by exporting companies