NEWS - TEAK HAULAGE

[Rangoonp@xxxxxxx]

BANGKOK POST - July 9, 1999

TEAK HAULAGE

Conditions on importing logs unacceptable to firms
Bar-coding of timber 'is not cost effective'

Uamdao Noikorn

The four firms seeking approval to import logs from Burma cannot accept
the
conditions the Forestry Department has set for the granting of permits,
an
executive for one of the traders said yesterday.

Taweesak Mongkolkosol, managing director of TMS Intertrade & Services
Co, a
partner of Polpana Co, said he was speaking on behalf of all four
companies.

"It's not just us who can't accept the terms. The other three can't
either,"
he insisted.

Polpana Co, Songkhrao Sahai Ruam Rop Kaolee Co, B&F Goodrich Co and SA
Pharmaceuticals Co have asked for permission to import up to 1.5 million
Burmese logs, according to widely published reports.

They claim the logs were left in Burma when the Salween illegal logging
scandal broke early last year, resulting in an import ban.

Forestry chief Plodprasop Suraswadi has set four conditions to ensure
the
logs are not teak from the Salween national park and wildlife sanctuary
falsely labelled as Burmese.

The forestry chief wants inspections of the logs on the Burmese side of
the
border, to verify the number. Once in Thailand, all agencies must
jointly
inspect them.

Mr Plodprasop wants the firms to use bar-coding to identify their logs,
instead of stamping, and to store the logs three kilometres from the
border
to await inspection.

Mr Plodprasop earlier said the firms had agreed.

Polpana managing director Chartchai Kitcharoenwong said the bar-code
system
was cost effective only if there were at least two million cubic metres
(cu/m) of logs.

Mr Taweesak said Polpana would import only 2,778 cu/m, SA
Pharmaceuticals
12,695 cu/m, Songkhrao Sahai Ruam Rop Kaolee 1,116.99 cu/m and B&F
Goodrich
2,683.116 cu/m-a total of "no more than 20,000 cu/m."He said the widely
reported figure of 1.5 million cu/m was probably "a typo".