Illegal Economy - general
Individual Documents
Description:
"Myanmar authorities have seized over 403 tons of illegal timbers in the southern Bago region in a week, according to a statement from the Forest Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the confiscations made on Dec. 28 to Jan. 3 within the area of Bago Yoma mountain range included teak, hardwood and other types of timbers.
Illegal logging often occurs in the area although the authorities have outlawed all logging operations in the area of Bago Yoma mountain range for a 10-year period starting from fiscal year (FY) 2016-2017.
Meanwhile, the forest department has been making efforts to crack down on illegal logging and trading of forest products as well as to implement tree plantation projects in substitution..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-06
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Type:
Individual Documents
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Sub-title:
Soe Htun Shein, chairman of the National Prosperity Gold Production Group, faces charges in several Mandalay courts
Description:
"A gold magnate who was arrested after fleeing to Thailand amid accusation of illegal mining is appealing to have the charge dropped.
Soe Htun Shein, chairman of the National Prosperity Gold Production Group (NPGPG), began the appeals process along with four of his company executives at a Mandalay court on Monday.
His trial for mining without a licence began in the Yamethin township court on April 27 and he filed an appeal on May 5 to the district court to have the charges dropped.
Soe Htun Shein is known for his outspoken support of Buddhist nationalist causes and the anti-Muslim monks behind them. In 2015 he donated just over 1.6 kilograms of gold, worth about $70,000, to Ma Ba Tha, the now disbanded hardline Buddhist nationalist group.
The government suspended NPGPG’s mining permit in November 2017 after the company refused to hand over 1,293 viss of gold it was contractually obligated to pay the state for a 6,100-acre mining site in Mandalay region.
The company ignored the suspension and continued mining and producing gold. The following March, an official from the environment and natural resource ministry filed charges against five of the company’s executives, including Soe Htun Shein.
He faces charges in two additional cases as well.
In a civil suit at the Mandalay Region High Court he is facing charges for the company’s refusal to hand over the initial 1,293 viss of gold..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-31
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Illegal Economy - general
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Sub-title:
Deforestation, Illegal Logging
Description:
"As COVID-19 spreads and paralyzes many industries, Myanmar continues to see a flood of illegal logging. On April 9, two weeks after the country confirmed its first case of the coronavirus, the country’s Forest Department announced that authorities seized over 840 tons of illegal timber in the course of a single week.
Much of the timber logged illegally in Myanmar is transported overland to China, in violation of both countries’ domestic laws. Despite disruptions to overland trade, the illicit industry now continues—driving deforestation, threatening local livelihoods and supporting organized crime.
Logging is a profitable business in Myanmar, home to much of the world’s remaining teak supply. The trade was a major source of revenue for the country’s military dictatorships and linked to years of human rights violations by the country’s military, especially in conflict areas like Karen State and around development projects like oil and gas pipelines. The military provided security for international energy firms like Chevron and Total and took the opportunity to use forced labour and extortion to turn a profit on teak and other valuable timber.
Under the country’s new democracy, the trade continues to be the target of accusations of corruption and rights violations. State-owned Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE) has run the logging industry since 1989. Recent investigations allege that MTE is involved in a system of bribery and subcontracting that allows illegal exports of mislabeled teak, violating both Myanmar law and laws in the European Union and US on timber imports.
Regardless, illegal logging continues to drive deforestation, deeply impacting the country’s ecosystems and threatening local livelihoods. High profits from the illegal trade also make it difficult to address the role of natural resources in Myanmar’s civil wars, as ethnic armed groups and communities across the country emphasize “resource federalism” and local control of water and land..."
Source/publisher:
"ASEAN Today" (Singapore)
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-21
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Sub-title:
The authorities have seized more illegally logged timber and arrested more timber traders since the COVID-19 outbreak in Myanmar in late March.
Description:
"During the stay-home period which took effect in April, officials have been able to arrest more illegal traders and those involved in illegal logging, the Forest Department said.
Most of the arrests were made during the Thingyan period between April 10 and 19 in all states and regions, said U Kyaw Myo, deputy director of the department. “Typically, illegal loggers take advantage of the Thingyan period to conduct more logging activities. But this time, as most regions were under stay-home notices and transport was limited, many officials could not return to their homes and remained in the forest campsites. This enabled them to make more arrests,” he said. The arrests have continued with stay-home orders and curfews extended to May 15. In the first week of May, authorities reported 40 cases of seized timber across the regions and states. During the period, a total of 488 people including a foreigner were arrested and 7423 tonnes of illegal timber, including 1567 tonnes of teak, was seized. Some 2830 tonnes of timber, about 40pc of the total, was seized in Kachin State. The authorities also confiscated 296 vehicles and heavy machinery and 44 chain saws.
To prevent deforestation and illegal timber smuggling at the borders, Myanmar banned exports of raw timber logs produced in natural forests in April 2014. Under the law, all exports of processed timber can take place at the Yangon ports with overland trade prohibited.
In July last year, the authorities allowed exports of raw timber produced at private forest plantations.
However, illegal trading of raw timber logs from Myanmar’s natural forests has continued. In August last year, Chinese authorities carried out a series of raids along China’s border with Myanmar, seizing more than 100,000 tons of timber held in warehouses, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-13
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Illegal Economy - general
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Sub-title:
Financial Action Task Force's 'grey list' designation for money laundering and terror financing will inevitably curb foreign investment and cost of doing business
Description:
"A global watchdog’s move to place Myanmar on a list of states perceived as prone to money laundering and terror financing has put renewed international pressure on State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s government to reform her nation’s opaque financial system.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a Paris-based intergovernmental agency founded by G7 nations, said in a statement last month that Myanmar had “proactively made progress” on curbing money laundering through new legislation and stiffer regulations on its cash-based remittance system.
The FATF, however, also said that Myanmar still needs to improve its understanding of “money-laundering risks in key areas” and strengthen its governance of various financial entities.
Myanmar’s new “grey list” designation will inevitably increase the cost of doing business by complicating international financial transactions and bank transfers at a time Suu Kyi’s government seeks more foreign investment.
Risk-averse foreign banks will also likely shy from establishing presences in the country due to already significant reputation and other risks, executives and investors say..."
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Political, social and economic dimensions of investment in Burma, Illegal Economy - general
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Sub-title:
The government will set up a vessel-monitoring system control centre (VMS) in Myeik city in Tanintharyi Region in an effort to combat illegal fishing, a senior Fisheries Department official said.
Description:
"U Than Chaung, head of the department in Tanintharyi, said the system will be able to identify fishing vessels that are operating legally in the area.
“All fishing vessels will have to enter specified checkpoints for mandatory inspections, and we will be able to determine whether they have the necessary permits,” he said.
The VMS control centre can prevent illegal fishing, he added.
The centre, which is under construction in Myeik, can monitor the movements of not only vessels off Tanintharyi but also across the nation. U Than Chaung, head of the department in Tanintharyi, said the system will be able to identify fishing vessels that are operating legally in the area.
“All fishing vessels will have to enter specified checkpoints for mandatory inspections, and we will be able to determine whether they have the necessary permits,” he said.
The VMS control centre can prevent illegal fishing, he added.
The centre, which is under construction in Myeik, can monitor the movements of not only vessels off Tanintharyi but also across the nation..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-03-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Fisheries (including aquaculture and fishing), Illegal Economy - general, Tenasserim (Tanintharyi) Division
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Description:
"Myanmar authorities recently seized over 626.1 tons of illegal timbers across the country in a week, state-run media reported on Saturday (Feb 29).
The seizures which were made from Feb. 17 to 23 included over 230.8 tons of teak, over 116.5 tons of hardwood and over 278.7 tons of other types of timbers, Forest Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation was quoted as saying.
During the period, 64 offenders were charged, along with the seizure of 45 vehicles and machinery.
Union Minister U Ohn Win for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation told a recently held meeting that the tree planting and logging are vital for the country as 83 percent of the population is relying on the forest.
Meanwhile, the forest department has been making efforts to crack down on illegal logging and trading of forest products as well as to implement tree plantation projects in substitution..."
Source/publisher:
"The Star Online" (Selangor)
Date of entry/update:
2020-03-01
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Timber trade, Illegal Economy - general
Language:
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Sub-title:
The outbreak may be the push needed to help prevent zoonotic diseases.
Description:
"Ebola. Anthrax. Bubonic plague. HIV. SARS. Coronavirus. You may not be familiar with the term “zoonotic,” but these nightmarish examples fall into that category. Zoonotic diseases are the kinds that can jump the species barrier, and can be particularly dangerous to humans because our immune systems don’t yet know how to fight them.
The COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, for example, probably originates from wild bats, but it’s not yet clear which creature was the intermediary between them and humans. Confiscated samples of pangolin, a critically endangered mammal hunted for use in traditional Chinese medicine, have tested positive for similar strains. Whether or not the intermediary turns out to be a rare, exotic species or a more mundane one such as pigs, one thing is clear: The greater the variety of animals in the same small space, the more pathways there are for diseases to spread and mutate.
This is alarming because the risk of zoonotic disease is rising exponentially. Three-quarters of new diseases in humans are transmitted from animals. The past century has seen ever-expanding human encroachment into natural habitats, exposing people and livestock to more varieties of wild animal than ever before—and with this contact, any bacteria and viruses they carry.
“The more we hunt wildlife, the more we come in contact with new environments and the more we increase the likelihood of us being exposed to these viruses,” explained Peter Ben Embarek of the World Health Organization’s International Food Safety Authorities Network. “It’s clear that poaching and hunting endangered species has to stop. It’s totally unacceptable. I think everybody in all authorities of the world are in agreement with that.”..."
Source/publisher:
"Foreign Policy" (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-29
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Illegal Economy - general, Fauna of Burma/Myanmar, Fauna of Burma's forests
Language:
Local URL:
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Sub-title:
At the Tochoji temple in Fukuoka, Japan, there’s a narrow passage where a giant statue of the Buddha sits. On one side of the walls depictions of hell, the many demons, destruction and cauldrons of death, are depicted. On the other side, pilgrims can find a passageway out of the darkness to heaven.
Description:
"The same kind of purgatory exists at the foot of mount Kyaiktiyo, also known as the Golden Rock. The vision of heaven sits on the top of Paung Laung Mountain, precariously poised on the edge of an outcrop in Mon State, some 3,615 feet above sea level.
For many Myanmar (and increasingly Thai) pilgrims, Kyaiktiyo is one of the holiest Pagodas in the country. The pagoda gets overcrowded during the full moon days and public holiday
On the north side of the pagoda lies Kyeekan Pasat (Crow’s Mouth) Cave. The cave looks like the mouth of a crow, and is also frequented by the pilgrims.
Sellers congregate along the path leading up to the cave, with a variety of wares – toys, souvenirs, medicinal ointment, herbs, and the body parts of animals. The path to the cave is marred by a couple of shops, exposing heads of mountain goats soaked in oil, skins of a bear and a wild cat and the skull of a tiger.
The Thein Than Shwe shop sells a variety of ointments in glass bottles. The bottles are partially wrapped with paper instructions; on the top of on label, the words read: “Mountain Goat Ointment”. It is supposed to heal muscle strains and arthritis. Other analgesic ointment bottles sit in a row. Nearby the bottles lies the head of mountain goat with horns, proving that the ointment contains extract of the herbivore.
Two young men guarded the shop, insisting a male passer-by try a message. They grab his hand and sat him on a chair, then started messaging his shoulders with the ointment. It was a scam. They asked him to buy the bottle, costing K2000..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-28
[field_licence]
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Individual Documents
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Sub-title:
The government called on China on Tuesday to ensure the health of 63 Myanmar sailors detained in Chinese prisons for illegal trading of goods.
Description:
"The Myanmar Embassy in Beijing issued the appeal amid reports that several inmates in some prisons across China have been infected with the deadly COVID-19 disease that has killed over 2600 people on the mainland.
The government asked the Chinese government to amnesty the Myanmar prisoners on humanitarian grounds.
Chinese authorities said that more than 500 inmates in five prisons in Hubei, Xiangdong and Jiejiang districts were infected with the new coronavirus as of last Thursday.
In a letter sent to China’s Foreign Ministry, the government urged Beijing to take care of the 63 Myanmar inmates and resolve their cases as soon as possible. The Myanmar Embassy in Beijing said that so far, the 63 sailors are free of the virus and have been placed in separate cells to minimise the possibility of infection..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-26
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Sub-title:
Myanmar is an important trade and transit route for wildlife products of China. It has also suffered from the loss of its own wildlife to the trade.
Description:
"The capture and killing of wild animals in the country to help satisfy the appetite across the border in China threaten many species that are under threat or facing extinction, including pangolins and elephants, according to reports.
The situation for Asian elephants living in Myanmar has worsened.
According to the NGO Rainforest Rescue, until recently only male Asian elephants were in danger of being poached for ivory, as the females do not have tusks.
Now, the poachers are killing every animal they can find – including females and calves.
After the elephants slowly succumb to poisoned arrows, the poachers skin their prey on the spot.
The NGO claims the survival of the species is at stake if the killing continues.
More than 100 elephants are known to have been poached in Myanmar since 2013 to meet Chinese demand for elephant skin – a market that didn’t exist six years ago that is driven entirely by the criminal energy of southeast Asian elephant poachers. According to a new study, the business is spreading to other countries via Myanmar and China..."
Source/publisher:
"Northeast Now" (India)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-22
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Description:
"Up to 50 Myanmar sailors are being arrested or detained in China for working on ships carrying illegal goods, according to a statement released by the Myanmar embassy in Beijing.
They are now at 16 detention centers and prison camps in China’s provinces and eight municipal cities.
The arrestees are in good health and living there adapting themselves to the climate.
In the cases in which Myanmar semen were arrested for various reasons in China, most are facing legal action for working on the vessels carrying illegal goods.
“They were usually detained or arrested. Then they faced a lawsuit. When they were facing trial, they were not allowed to meet their family members. They could do so only after they got into prison. Embassy officials arranged the visits,” said a second secretary from the Myanmar embassy.
The Myanmar embassy is coordinating with officials concerned to know whether the arrests of those sailors are justified and not to lose their deserving rights..."
Source/publisher:
Eleven Media Group (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-21
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Illegal Economy - general, China-Burma relations
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Title: Myanmar conduit for wildlife trade with China as questions swirl over its role in virus panic
Description:
"China’s deadly illicit trade in wildlife has been thrown into stark relief as Beijing recently announced a temporary ban on the sale of wildlife in the wake of the outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan that is suspected to have originated in the city’s wet market.
While the focus is on demand in China for live and dead animals for consumption for questionable health reasons, Myanmar is caught in the cross-hairs as an important transit route in the illicit trade.
The underlying problem is the high demand amongst Chinese consumers for wild animals, from elephant skin to pangolin scales to tiger parts to shark fins. The result? Many wild animals are under threat from this deadly trade worldwide, some threatened with extinction.
And there is a serious health risk for humans. China’s deadly coronavirus is being linked to animals caged in one of Wuhan’s wet markets though as yet there has been no confirmation.
TEMPORARY TO PERMANENT BAN
With people dropping dead in China from the virus and with a number of cases cropping up abroad, Chinese people and foreign environmentalists have been quick to call for a permanent ban on the sale of wildlife in China..."
Source/publisher:
"Mizzima" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-21
[field_licence]
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Individual Documents
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Description:
"Myanmar is set to be placed on a watchlist by a global finance watchdog this week, amid concerns of money-laundering by transnational drug traffickers and weak regulation of its financial system, two sources familiar with deliberations said. A decision to put Myanmar on the “gray list” by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) would mean the inter-governmental body had found “strategic deficiencies” in the country’s ability to counter money-laundering and terrorism financing.
While being on the list does not carry any sanctions, it could curtail the growth of financial, investment and trade flows to and from the Southeast Asian nation, a high-level official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.
Kyaw Win Thein, the head of Myanmar’s Financial Intelligence Unit who is attending the FATF meeting in Paris this week, told Reuters that Myanmar “is not on the gray list so far”. Its fate will be decided at a plenary meeting on Thursday, he said.
The FATF typically announces its decisions on Friday at the end of its Paris plenary meetings.
Kyaw added that Myanmar’s government has developed a strategic implementation plan to improve its ability to counter-money laundering..."
Source/publisher:
"Reuters" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-20
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Politics and Government - global and regional - general studies, strategies, theory, Illegal Economy - general
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Description:
"During Lunar New Year week, a golden tiger, an elephant and a pangolin (with baby in tow) greeted visitors to the Mandalay Palace in Myanmar, shining regally in the midday sun and reflecting the spotlights around the palace at night. These animals are all species that are endemic to Myanmar, but are threatened by a pernicious illegal trade for their parts. The difference this time was that the animals on display were replicas.
Tiger bone, pangolin scales and elephant skin are falsely believed to have medicinal properties, while other products, such as tiger pelts and teeth, are purchased for the supposed prestige or protection they bring. And it isn’t only endemic species that are being poached for their parts. Illegal wildlife products from other parts of the world, including ivory from African elephants and pangolin scales and rhino horns from African species, find their way into national and regional markets, or transit through Myanmar on their way to destinations further afield, including China and the rest of Southeast Asia.
With the recent coronavirus thought to have spread from a market that traded in wildlife, ending this trade is critical, both to help preserve biodiversity and in the interest of public health..."
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-20
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Individual Documents
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Description:
"There have been cases in which Myanmar sailors were arrested in China as they worked on ships carrying illegal goods, according to a statement released by the Myanmar embassy in Beijing.
Most of the Myanmar seamen were arrested for various reasons in China because they worked on the vessels carrying illegal goods.
“They were usually detained or arrested. Then they faced a lawsuit. When they were facing trial, they were not allowed to meet their family members. They could do so only after they got into prison. Embassy officials arranged the visits,” said a second secretary from the Myanmar embassy.
Those Myanmar sailors came to know that they were working on ships carrying illegal goods only after they were arrested. It is also reported that when such cases came, one or some of the senior officials from the ship would be arrested..."
Source/publisher:
Eleven Media Group (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-18
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Illegal Economy - general, China-Burma relations
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Summary:
"CATTLE AND buffalo exporters enjoyed a profitable year in 2018, after the Ministry of Commerce lifted a ban on live exports the previous October, but regulations introduced in 2019 have taken the...
Sub-title:
Exports of animal products have risen dramatically since the government lifted a ban on the export of live cattle and buffalo in October 2017, but new regulations have taken some of the shine off the trade.
Description:
"CATTLE AND buffalo exporters enjoyed a profitable year in 2018, after the Ministry of Commerce lifted a ban on live exports the previous October, but regulations introduced in 2019 have taken the shine off the trade.
The lifting of the ban saw more than 260 companies apply for export permits by mid-2019, of which more than 90 were approved, and exports of animal products rose from just $10.627 million in the 2016-17 fiscal year to $366.359 million in 2018-19, Ministry of Commerce data shows. China is the largest importer of cattle and buffaloes from Myanmar, followed by Thailand.
But traders grumble about delays in issuing the licences they need to send livestock across borders and say the government could do more to support live exports by simplifying regulations. Other challenges facing the cattle export industry, say livestock specialists, include the need to upgrade the quality of livestock.
Most of the nation’s cattle farms are in Mandalay, Sagaing and Magway regions. Many of the farms are small plots owned by traders, who do not breed livestock but buy on the domestic market and keep the animals until they can be exported at times of high demand. Support more independent journalism like this. Sign up to be a Frontier member.
Frontier met cattle traders at Latpan village, in Mandalay Region’s Kyaukse Township, who said they were unhappy at not being able to get export licences in 2019..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-14
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Border Trade with China, Border Trade - general, Agriculture in Burma/Myanmar: general and research, Smallholder farming and farmers in Burma/Myanmar, Illegal Economy - general
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"The trade in exotic pets and endangered species is 60 per cent bigger than previously thought, putting 5,000 species at risk of extinction, new research shows.
More than 5,000 vertebrate species are being bought and sold both legally and illegally across borders, a study from the University of Sheffield has found.
The billion-dollar industry has been fuelled by the growing demand for exotic pets, furs, jewellery and body parts used for traditional medicine - such as the endangered pangolin, the world's most trafficked mammal.
Also under threat is the helmeted hornbill, prized for its unique solid casque that has been dubbed 'red ivory'. It is used to make bracelets, beads and ornaments..."
Source/publisher:
"The Telegraph" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2019-12-01
[field_licence]
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Individual Documents
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Description:
"TRADERS and buyers in the illegal wildlife trade in Myanmar have turned away from traditional markets and towards social media platforms, as the government intensifies its crackdown on the illicit activity.
Nevertheless, there are still wildlife markets flourishing on the Chinese border, which are beyond the government’s control.
U Aung Kyaw, anti-wildlife trafficking manager at the Wildlife Conservation Society of Myanmar (WCS-Myanmar), said the online wildlife trade seems to be on the rise in the country.
“Various wildlife species are for sale online. It is hard to detect the culprits if the trend continues,” he said, according to the Myanmar Times.
WCS Myanmar, the Forestry Department, and other agencies, including the police, are cooperating to eliminate the illegal wildlife trade, despite the odds.
“The department and WCS Myanmar are unable to handle this alone,” U Aung Kyaw said.
“We need the help of cybercrime experts. We plan to eliminate the online trade, but it cannot be implemented yet. We need technicians and experts, but we are trying our best.”
In the past nine years, the department has prosecuted 12 suspected illegal online wildlife traders. Not all were successful..."
Source/publisher:
"New Straits Times" (Malaysia)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-25
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
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Sub-title:
Name it and you can have it: monkey, bear, snake, turtle, birds, bear bile, and wildlife parts.
Description:
"It is a huge thriving market, but buyers and sellers no longer have to congregate in one place, haggling in the sweltering heat of the sun or squeezed under a humid plastic roof to escape a pounding rain.
Instead, today’s illegal wildlife market is right there in the comfort of your living room or bedroom. It goes wherever you go, because the illegal wildlife trade is now part of the booming e-commerce scene in Myanmar, on your laptop, tablet or smartphone.
A page advertising the sale of protected and endangered species recently cropped up on the social media giant Facebook.
Two months ago, a check of the site showed pangolins for sale, different sizes of leopards, monkeys, bears, and birds of prey.
The Facebook page lists the names of the species of wild animals and animal parts along with prices and contact numbers. Those who want to buy these animals or parts could call a number, join a chat, or post comments.
Leopards were available for K150,000 (US$100) in the online market, birds of prey cost around K20,000, and turtles and monkeys went for as little as a few thousand..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-24
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Type:
Individual Documents
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Description:
"China’s recent crackdowns on illegal cross-border trade from Myanmar are causing hardship for Myanmar merchants who make their living selling goods to Chinese buyers.
Prior to Beijing’s closure of the black market routes, the merchants enjoyed fairly barrier-free movement of their goods into China, but now they face taxation as high as 60 percent, especially for high-traffic commodities like rice and other agricultural products.
The effect has been particularly devastating at a rice wholesale center in Muse, a town that borders China in Myanmar’s Shan state. In days past, Chinese merchants used to crowd the facility, looking for rice they could buy cheaply, then sell for a healthy markup at home.
But now the wholesale center is nearly deserted.
Ko Sithu, a rice merchant at the center, to RFA’s Myanmar Service his business is drying up because tariffs made the grain less competitive.
“When [the Chinese] raised taxes, the rice on this side wasn’t getting a good price any longer. It’s no longer [affordable] to bring it here. We are trying to sell off the rice [we have] here at their [lower offered] price, he said.
Fruit restricted
After rice, the second largest export at the Myanmar-China border is fruit. Under new import policies, some fruits, like pineapple, which had been traded freely for many years across the border, are now subject to restrictions..."
Source/publisher:
"Radio Free Asia (RFA)" (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-12
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Illegal Economy - general, Burma's economic relations with China, Border Trade with China, China-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
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Summary:
"It’s Golden Week again, which means the cities of Southeast Asia are seeing an influx of tourists from China visiting iconic sites, buying souvenirs and tasting local delicacies.
They are...
Description:
"It’s Golden Week again, which means the cities of Southeast Asia are seeing an influx of tourists from China visiting iconic sites, buying souvenirs and tasting local delicacies.
They are traveling from a country that has had success recently in tackling the illegal trade in ivory. This trade has caused a serious decline in elephant populations across Asia and Africa, but a ban in China two years ago resulted in a significant drop in ivory purchased within the country. And it seems to be sticking. A new WWF survey of 2,000 Chinese nationals found that overall demand for ivory among Chinese consumers remains down two years after the ban. Simply put, bans work. Nearly 80% of respondents in the survey said the ban would prevent them from buying in the future.
That’s the good news. But Golden Week is not so golden for conservationists and elephants as China’s neighbors are increasingly feeling the pressure from the ivory ban. Like a balloon that’s squeezed in one place and simply bulges in another, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia are seeing an impact from the ban in China..."
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-08
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Illegal Economy - general, Forests and forest peoples - programmes for rights and preservation, Fauna of Burma/Myanmar
Language:
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Description:
"With tinted windows and their militia name emblazoned on the side of their Ford truck, “Pan Say” fighters cruise the sleazy streets of Muse, Myanmar’s main gateway to China and awash with weapons and cash from casinos, drugs and sex. Ten armed groups run the Shan State border town of Muse, which is separated by a shallow river from the gleaming towers of its Chinese counterpart, Ruili.
All are under the tutelage of the same patron: Myanmar’s Army. China and Myanmar have an agreement not to station troops along their border. Instead, Myanmar’s Army uses the militias as proxies in a long running conflict between the Central State and Ethnic Rebel Groups who operate in the area, including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Taaung National Liberation Army (TNLA).
A fiendishly complicated, decades-old struggle for money, trade, resources and ethnic identity is playing out in Muse. The Pan Say militia gave AFP a rare snapshot of the shifting alliances and rivalries which have defined Myanmar’s frontier areas since its independence in 1948.
Each militia “looks after its own business and we look after ours”, a senior Pan Say member told AFP as a batch of 30 fresh recruits dressed in fatigues trained in a compound.
They have joined one of Muse’s largest militias, which boasts several hundred men, armed with M-16 rifles and Kalashnikovs. Pan Say insists it is funded by its own Jade Mines, Cigarette Factories & Karaoke Bars, denying knowledge of narcotics or other illegal activities that prosper along the border. Like other Muse militias, Pan Say accepted a deal in 2009 to come under the military’s control in exchange for a degree of autonomy..."
Source/publisher:
"Belt & Road News" (China)
Date of entry/update:
2019-09-28
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
“One Belt, One Road” initiative, Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) - Myanmar, Drugs: regional and global, Drug economy, Illegal Economy - general, Border Trade with China, Burma's economic relations with China
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Description:
"According to the seminar on combating illegal trafficking of wildlife and their parts, there are 2000 wild elephants and 3000 tamed elephants in Myanmar.
There are only 13 countries where Asia elephants can be found. About 90 percent of the habitat of elephants were wiped out and in the entire world, there are only 52,345 elephants left. Fifty percent of elephants can be found in neighbouring India. Poaching for ivory, meat and other elephant products takes place in Myanmar as well. Habitat loss, shrinking and fragmentation of elephant habitat is placing increased pressure on the remaining elephant population in Myanmar.
"Wild elephants can mostly be found in Mandalay Region and at the same time, poaching still exists. Wild elephants were killed sometimes." said acting Police Brig-Gen Sein Lwin.
In the endangered species of Myanmar issued by Department of Forestry, elephants are included to five fully protection..."
Source/publisher:
"Eleven Media Group" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2019-09-19
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
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Description:
"Each morning at the break of dawn, Zaw Win and his team herd their elephants across the sweeping forest floor down to the river bank. They scrub and clean the mighty mammals before harnessing them to begin their day's work. Zaw Win, a third-generation oozie [Burmese for elephant handler] keeps a close eye on his animals which are his livelihood.
Decades of military dictatorship has meant many aspects of Myanmar are frozen in time. One of those traditions dates back thousands of years - the timber elephant.
Myanmar has around 5,000 elephants living in captivity - more than any other Asian country. More than half of them belong to a single government logging agency, the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE). Elephants are chosen over machines because they do the least damage to the forest.
These elephants have survived ancient wars, colonialism and World War II while hard woods extracted by elephants in Myanmar once fed the British naval fleet. Yet today, Myanmar's timber elephant is under threat.
Once the richest reservoir for biodiversity in Asia, Myanmar's forest cover is steadily depleting and the government blames it on illegal loggers.
Now, the forest policy is being overhauled.
The Ministry for Environmental Conservation and Forestry has pledged to reduce its logging by more than 80,000 tonnes this fiscal year. Myanmar will ban raw teak and timber exports by April 1, 2014, allowing only export of high-end finished timber products.
MTE says that the private elephant owners contracted by the government will be the first on the chopping block. Saw Moo, a second generation private elephant owner, sees a bleak future for his stable of 20 elephants. He fears the family business will end in his hands and he may have to sell his elephants, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
101 East follows the oozies deep into Myanmar's forests, gaining unprecedented access to remote elephant logging camps and witnessing the extraordinary communication between elephants and men as they work.
But will the elephants and their handlers, who have survived kingdoms and military dictatorships, survive democracy and the open market? Is there a place for them in a changing modern world?
101 East asks if this could be the end of Burma's mighty timber elephants..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera English"
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-16
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Biodiversity - Burma/Myanmar-related, Biodiversity - Burma/Myanmar-related, Policies designed to promote environmental sustainability in Burma/Myanmar, Illegal Economy - general, Threats to the fauna of Burma
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Description:
"The UNODC released a report this month that said the number of wildlife trafficking seizures in Myanmar is considerably lower than those made elsewhere in the Mekong sub-region but the country is an increasingly important transit point for the illicit wildlife trade.
From 2013 to 2017, officials seized 34 shipments of pangolin scales and other parts, totalling more than 1.2 tonnes.
Myanmar also has a modest illegal trade in elephant skin, which is often found for sale in popular markets in special economic zones such as Mine Lar and Tachileik in Shan State.
“Myanmar has the perfect conditions for the illegal wildlife trade: abundant wildlife, conflict in border regions with little or no government control, located near the infamous Golden Triangle where all sorts of illegal trade thrives, and neighbours with China, where demand for illegal wildlife products is greatest,” Christy Williams, country director of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Myanmar), said.
He added, “This means the impact on Myanmar’s wildlife is devastating. To save our wildlife we need to work together across borders to protect our wildlife, stop poaching and end this insidious trade.”
WWF and fellow conservation partners are working to support the government in the fight against wildlife trafficking through training, capacity-building and public awareness campaigns, such as Voices for Momos and the Yangon Elephant Museum.
Myanmar is trying to reduce or eliminate the illegal trade by burning US$1.15 million (K1.7 billion) worth of elephant tusks and other wildlife parts that were seized this year, a Forest Department official said..."
Source/publisher:
Myanmar Times
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Illegal Economy - general, The impact of natural disasters on the environment and people of Burma/Myanmar
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Description:
"This has been a year of results.
From zero elephant rangers we now have 220 on the ground in our Central
Elephant Landscape and have gone from one elephant poached per week,
to one a month and now one every six months.
We have achieved one of the toughest wildlife laws in Asia with a
mandatory minimum three years imprisonment for poaching or trade
of completely protected species and seen it implemented in the courts.
Through the Voices for Momos campaign we have secured a ban on illegal
wildlife sales in Yangon region.
It has also been a year of challenges.
The Dawei Road project has re-awoken and is pushing ahead with
potential devastating impacts to a critical tiger corridor. Conversations
around dams are becoming louder and more frequent and everyone is
aware of the challenges Myanmar is facing in its transition to democracy.
To meet these challenges we are expanding our presence with offices now
in Naypyidaw, Hpa-An, Dawei and Yangon, and work focused across three
landscapes –Dawna Tenasserim, Central Elephant and Ayeyarwady.
Our work in natural resource protection and management is investment in
the peace, stability, and prosperity of an entire nation. This is evidenced
in our Dawna Tenasserim projects where we are working alongside
returning Karen refugees supporting livelihoods through a sustainable,
inclusive, landscape approach.
Now more than ever we need to ensure Myanmar’s natural heritage
remains and underpins sustainable, inclusive development for the good of
all its people..."
Source/publisher:
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-22
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Biodiversity - Burma/Myanmar-related, Biodiversity - international standards and mechanisms, The impact of natural disasters on the environment and people of Burma/Myanmar, Climate Change - Migration Burma/Myanmar, Climate Change - Burma/Myanmar: general, Illegal Economy - general
Language:
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2.61 MB
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Description:
"Myanmar is the most porous economy we have studied in depth. Long isolation, trade restrictions,
and attempts to regulate currency exchange rates have combined to drive a substantial part of the
economy underground"...
Executive Summary:
"There have been few studies on capital flight and illicit financial flows to and from Myanmar, due to
waning public interest in the wake of insular domestic policies and Western economic sanctions.
This study finds that confinement, seclusion, and economic instability along with entrenched
governance deficits have characterized the country since independence. We show that insularity
and isolation have led to a declining trend in trade openness. Furthermore, we reveal that over the
period 1999-2013, Myanmar experienced much larger macroeconomic instability (as measured by
the variance in the rate of inflation, the current account to GDP ratio, and rates of economic growth)
relative to other developing countries, including those in Asia, five ASEAN countries (Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand), and other groupings.
Given the strong combination of macroeconomic, structural, and governance-related factors, we
estimate both flight capital and illicit trade flows to and from the country. Flight capital includes a
small portion of licit capital (that is not recorded due to statistical shortcomings), while illicit trade
flows only include capital that is illegal in nature. Over the period 1960-2013, inflows and outflows
of flight capital averaged 15.1 percent and 13.1 percent of GDP per annum in constant dollars,
respectively. Illicit trade inflows and outflows amounted to an average of 14.4 percent and 6.5
percent of GDP per annum, respectively. This scale of inflows and outflows is much larger in the
case of Myanmar than most other developing countries.
Flows of illicit trade capital in both directions are smaller than flight capital counterparts. Illicit
trade inflows totaled US$77.7 billion over 1960-2013, while total inward capital flows amounted
to US$82.8 billion. Similarly, illicit trade outflows totaled US$18.7 billion while outward flight
capital totaled US$35.9 billion over this period. Average illicit trade inflows were more than four
times average illicit trade outflows. Import under-invoicing, which dominated other types of trade
misinvoicing, drove most inflows.
A particular feature of capital flight and illicit trade flows to and from Myanmar is that inflows are
much larger than outflows. We show that this is in fact the case with other countries (such as
Afghanistan, Mexico, Russia, and Thailand) where drug trafficking is a significant issue. Myanmar?s
place as the world?s second largest producer of opium poppy places it easily within this group of
countries.
We present an analysis of how economic sanctions, by creating an excess demand for certain
items in domestic markets, can encourage technical smuggling as importers seek to meet the
excess demand. The few importers with the license to import the goods in question reap illegal
profits through import under-invoicing. The estimates of illicit trade flows provided in the paper
confirm that technical smuggling through import under-invoicing is by far the largest component of
inward capital flows or illicit trade inflows. We also find preliminary evidence of outward smuggling
viii Global Financial Integrity
of timber and other wood products into India and China and the over-invoicing of precious stones
to the latter. We cite other researchers who find perverse incentives arising from Myanmar?s trade
policies to explain deliberate trade misinvoicing.
Myanmar could have lost at least US$2.9 billion and as much as US$3.6 billion over the period in
potential tax revenues through i) uncollected import tariff revenue due to import under-invoicing and
ii) lower corporate profit tax captures due to export under-invoicing. To put it in perspective, this tax
loss due to illicit flows ranged from 122-172 percent of total health expenditures and 48-73 percent
of total education expenditures incurred during 1960-2013. The figures are just as startling for 2010-
2013: 129 percent of health expenditures and 42 percent of education expenditures.
The paper also tests the link between illicit flows and the underground economy using estimates
derived from the currency demand approach. The underground economy is a good proxy for the
state of overall governance of a country. We find a strong and significant link between illicit flows
and the underground economy, confirming that weak governance both drives and is driven by illicit
flows. Using a currency demand approach modified to reflect the predominant role of smuggling
and black markets in Myanmar?s economy, we find that the underground economy averaged around
55 percent of official GDP—one of the highest in the world. The World Bank has also found the
underground economy of Myanmar to be around 50 percent of official GDP.
The paper concludes with a series of policy recommendations for the Government of Myanmar.
GFI urges the Government to develop a priority list of areas for technical assistance to improve
the quality of its statistics. Data is a critical element of analysis and understanding the country?s
dynamics—for the government and for those outside the government. Anti-money laundering
legislation and enforcement should be brought up to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and IMFdefined
standards. Trade misinvoicing should be curtailed with the implementation of a real-time
world market pricing risk analysis system for the Customs Department..."
Dev Kar, Joseph Spanjers
Source/publisher:
Global Financial Integrity (GFI)
Date of publication:
2015-09-09
Date of entry/update:
2015-10-01
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Illegal Economy - general
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.68 MB
more
Description:
"Illicit Outflows average 6.5% of Myanmar?s Official GDP; Technical Smuggling of Imports via Fraudulent Misinvoicing Accounts for 71.0% of Myanmar?s Illicit Inflows
Underground Economy Averaged 55.1% of Country?s GDP; Drives and is Driven by Illicit Flows
Tax Loss due to Illicit Flows Greater than Public Spending on Health
Customs Enforcement, Transparency Measures, Political Will Seen as Key to Curbing Crime, Corruption, and Tax Evasion
Report Launch Event to Be Held at the National Press Club at 2pm EDT on Thursday, September 10th...."
Christine Clough
Source/publisher:
Global Financial Integrity (GFI)
Date of publication:
2015-09-09
Date of entry/update:
2015-10-01
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Illegal Economy - general
Language:
English
Local URL:
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