Residents of Putao in Kachin state, northern Burma are finding it difficult to buy timber for building wooden houses given the restrictions imposed by the Burmese military junta authorities, sources alleged.
"Timber is only meant for use by the Burmese Army and it has ordered people to send all the wood to the army camp," a resident from Putao told KNG over telephone.
While there is no law by the junta authorities on the use of timber but from 2006 the residents of Putao and Machyangbaw Townships have not been allowed to buy wood by the military authorities, a resident said.
All the timber available is mainly used in the construction of Burmese army's new Supply and Transport Force (htauk/pu) in Htawadam village which is on the east riverside of the Mali River also called Mali Hka in Kachin. There are two big wood cutting machines where the army camp is located. The machines are owned by timber businessman U Tin Hla.
If civilians-owned wooden planks are seized on the roads, they are fined 20,000 Kyat (est. US $17) per ton of wood by Military Affairs Security Unit (Sa-Ya-Pha) as well as 10,000 Kyat (est. US $8) per ton of wood by government Forestry, said a resident of Machyangbaw.
Since 2004, after Vice Snr. Gen. Maung Aye came to visit Putao, four more battalions were raised in Putao district. Earlier there used to be only one battalion in Putao.
