Bkk post-Salween Forest is threaten

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Subject: Bkk post-Salween Forest is threatened again

The Bangkok Post-June 10, 1999.
Editorial

Salween Forest is threatened again

About a year after the Salween logging scandal swept through the forestry
department with a vengeance, the lush forest in Mae Hong Son has been spared
the chainsaws of big-time illegal loggers although minor illegal logging
continues unabated. But the reprieve appears to be short-lived now that the
forestry department is set to grant permission to four Thai timber companies
to haul 120,000 cubic metres of "leftover" Burmese logs across the border
into Mae Hong Son.

Apparently, the forestry department has been under heavy pressure from
different vested interest groups, including the four timber firms which have
threatened lawsuits, to allow them to haul the "leftover" logs. Bowing to
the pressure, the forestry chief, Mr Plodprasob Suraswadi, reportedly said
that the four importers must meet his tough conditions to ensure that the
logs to be brought in actually originated in Burma. He also proposed the
introduction of a bar-code system to identify the origin of the logs.

The four timber firms, namely Thai-Korean Veterans' Welfare Organisation,
B&F Goodrich, SA Pharmaceuticals and Phol Phana, have reportedly accepted
the terms set by the department. All claimed they had been losing heavily
ever since the border was slammed shut a year ago. Given the poor track
record of most timber companies as far as illegal logging is concerned, the
agreement of the four importers to comply with all the terms set by the
forestry department is anything but a trustworthy promise.Only a pathetic
soul will be tempted by such an empty promise from the loggers whose extreme
disregard for the forests has been clearly manifested by the wanton
destruction of forests in Thailand, Cambodia and Burma. Also, the track
record of forestry officials in Mae Hong Son is anything but reliable. Aside
from the logging scandal last year that badly dented their reputation, new
allegations have recently emerged from villagers implicating some of the
officials of involvement in renewed illegal logging following the discovery
of freshly-cut teak logs close to the Salween forest. Last but not least,
the terms of condition appear to be flawed in a way that will enable the

importers to take advantage at the expense of national forests. There is no
specific time frame for the cross-border logs hauling. A deadline must be
given after which the border will be shut and all log imports from Burma via
Mae Hong Son banned. Mr Plodprasop may believe that tough conditions,
including his proposed bar-code system, will be imposed on the four timber
importers and these will work effectively to ensure that the companies will
not play tricks again. But he seems to have forgotten one major factor which
will contribute to the success or failure of his carefully-devised measures,
that is the enforcers. For the time being, it is doubtful that the
department can deliver enough personnel who are hard-working and, above all,
honest and incorruptible, to do the job. Granted that most of the forestry
officials assigned to carry out the task in Mae Hong Son are honest and that
they have done a great job, there is no guarantee that illegally-cut logs
would not be adulterated with the "leftover" logs from Burma when they are
declared at the various checkpoints. There are many other officials who have
the authority to oversee the log imports. These include the customs
officials, local police, forestry police, the army and security officials.
Their past performance is, after all, on a par with that of the foresters.

The forestry chief may be willing to gamble his reputation by allowing the
four importers to bring in the Burmese logs. But the fate of the Salween
forest should not be put at risk unnecessarily. Unless there is a firm
commitment from the four timber firms that they will bring in only the
leftover logs from Burma and unless there are assurances from other
governmental agencies that they will strictly follow the law to the letter,
the decision to lift the import ban should be reversed.