Nearly 1,600 tons of Burmese teak were exported to American companies last year, in violation of the sanctions put in place by Washington after the coup against Aung San Suu Kyi, denounced Tuesday the NGO Justice for Myanmar.
Between February and the end of November 2021, “82 shipments“have arrived in the United States, according to the organization.
“These are basically planks and lumber used for shipbuilding, outdoor decks and furnishings.“, according to the NGO which estimates”likely that an even larger quantity is exported to the United States via third countries such as China“.
Violation of sanctions
After the February 1, 2021 coup and the bloody crackdown on civilians that followed, Washington implemented targeted sanctions against the military.
Among them, the ban on US companies importing Burmese teak. The Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE), the national logging company, is indeed in the hands of the generals and provides them with a very important source of income.
Justice For Myanmar calls on Washington to verify that the sanctions are applied and urges it to ban the import of all types of timber.
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“The United States has the power to cut this financial flow to the junta (…) and to support the struggle of the Burmese people to end the tyranny“, comments the NGO.
Wood, jade, gold, rubies: Burma is full of natural resources, fundamental sources of income for the army that it has managed to conserve even during the decade of democratic transition, from 2011 to 2021.
Burmese teak
Burma remains one of the last reserves of teak in the world, a precious wood highly prized for its strength and aesthetics.
According to Global Forest Watch (GFW), the country lost four million hectares of forest between 2001 and 2020, the equivalent of the area of Switzerland.
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