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BKK POST: Editorial/ Taking an axe



February 18, 1998


                                     



                                Editorial


              Taking an axe to
              old ideas 

              Everyone knew that trees were being
              logged in the Salween park and wildlife
              sanctuary but the issue has now 'gone
              public'. If trees are really to be saved
              for future generations the public, and
              the various agencies tasked with
              protecting them, need a bit of education
              about their importance.

              The buck-passing has started in earnest just as various
              governmental agencies are gearing up, albeit belatedly, for an
              unprecedented collective move to end the massive forest
              destruction in Salween national park and Salween wildlife
              sanctuary.

              Several agencies, namely the forestry, police, local administration
              and customs departments, as well as the Third Army Region, are
              directly or indirectly involved in forest protection in the Salween
              areas. Apparently, all have failed miserably to do their job.
              However, none appear ready to accept their failure and take the
              blame. Instead, they are busy pointing fingers at others.

              Mae Hong Son governor Pakdee Chomphuming said he would
              take responsibility but not the blame. Instead, he passed the
              buck to Pol Gen Salang Bunnag, deputy director-general in
              charge of a task force entrusted with tackling forest poaching
              nationwide. 

              He stopped short of blaming himself but admitted the existing
              mechanism could not effectively cope with illegal logging. And he
              indicated that the Forest Industry Organisation should be partly
              to blame for encouraging illegal logging by permitting the
              auctioning of seized logs and timber. 

              The Mae Hong Son customs chief, defended his role in the affair,
              saying that it was his responsibility to check the certificates of
              origin of the logs brought in from Burma. 

              Meanwhile, forestry officials claimed they were to understaffed
              and underequipped to police the vast forest land efficiently.

              But the buck must stop somewhere and someone must be held
              accountable for gross negligence in failing to prevent the illegal
              logging which has gone on for years. It was only with the recent
              bribery scandal that it came to light. 

              The hunt for the culprits, through a full-scale probe ordered by
              Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, is intensifying. The results should
              be expected soon. But what is far more important is the urgent
              need to safeguard the remaining forest, an uphill task which
              requires political will and a clear understanding that trees are
              more than just timber and benefit human kind.

              The deployment of troops with powers of arrest will help
              hard-pressed forestry officials. Nevertheless, a mechanism of
              checks and balances is needed to prevent possible abuse by
              certain officers. One should not underestimate the power of
              money, and the wealthy loggers have plenty at their disposal.

              Equally important, but often ignored, is the need to encourage
              public interest in forest and environmental conservation,
              especially among the bureaucrats and politicians. 

              Perhaps, the "Do-it-Right-for-Thailand" campaign to be
              kick-started by the country's leading corporations should include
              conservation awareness.

              The Salween bribery controversy could be a blessing in disguise,
              for it could bring to an end the lucrative illegal logging business. It
              remains to be seen whether the sudden interest in forest
              protection is anything more than a flash in the pan.




                                     




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Last Modified: Wed, Feb 18, 1998