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BKK POST: Editorial/ Taking an axe
- Subject: BKK POST: Editorial/ Taking an axe
- From: suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 02:30:00
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