Myanmar sentences 153 Chinese illegal loggers to life imprisonment

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Myanmar sentences 153 Chinese illegal loggers to life imprisonment

Embassy in Yangon says it has launched representations over 'too heavy' sentences

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 22 July, 2015, 11:50pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 22 July, 2015, 11:50pm

Reuters in Yangon and Staff Reporter



Regions along Myanmar's porous border with the mainland have long been hotbeds for the illegal trade in timber to feed Chinese demand. Photo: Reuters

A court in Myanmar has handed life sentences to 153 Chinese nationals for illegal logging, according to a court official.

The court in Myitkyina, capital of Kachin state in the north of the country, also sentenced two Chinese to 10-year prison terms.

A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Yangon said it had lodged "solemn" representations with the Myanmese authorities.

The spokesman said the embassy was still verifying what had happened with the Myanmese authorities, but said that Chinese nationals had been given fixed imprisonment terms.

He added: "Even if they were jailed for 10 or 20 years, we still believe the sentence is too heavy."

Consulate officials had arrived in Myitkyina, and would liaise with the court over the verdict, the spokesman added.

"We will provide assistance to the Chinese if they want to appeal to a higher court," he said.

The Chinese nationals would all have a chance to appeal the rulings, said a Myanmese court official, who declined to be identified.

The individuals were arrested in January in a crackdown on the country's lucrative illegal logging and timber trade launched by the military, police and forestry department. According to state media at the time, more than 400 vehicles and 1,600 logs were seized during the raid.

An official from Myitkyina's prison department confirmed the sentences.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in January that China was in contact with Myanmar to seek "a proper solution" for the case.

Regions along Myanmar's porous border with the mainland have long been hotbeds for the illegal trade in timber to feed Chinese demand. Much of Myanmar's jade is also smuggled into the mainland.

The mainland's voracious demand for Myanmar's raw materials has contributed to resentment in the country towards its giant northern neighbour.

Aye Myint Maung, deputy minister of Myanmar's Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry, told parliament in June that 10,000 tonnes of illegal timber had been seized from illegal loggers since January, most of it from Kachin state.

Kachin has seen an increase in conflict since 2011, when a 17-year ceasefire between the Myanmese military and autonomy-seeking ethnic Kachin rebels broke down.






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