A section of Burmese Army officials are encouraging and collecting tax on valuable timber being smuggled to northeast states of India from Sagaing division and Chin state.

A source said that the Tidim town based LIB 266 in Chin state, Kalemyo based LIB 89 and Tamu town based LIB 59 in Sagaing division, have been encouraging smuggling of valuable timber from Tawnzang, Chikha areas in Chin state and Tamu districts in Sagaing division to India.

“They are smuggling prohibited timber without taking permit from the forest department. Smuggling of teak, sandalwood and other variety of timber started in 2000. Now the total timber smuggled would be about one lakh tons,” an employee of the forest department in Chin state said.

The timber is carried by ethnic armed groups in India and the military takes tax from them as the rate of Kyat 7000 for one cubic feet of teak and Kyat 4000 for one cubic feet of other variety of timber. It is transported by trucks to the northeast state of Manipur in India.

“Forest department rules say if a person cuts a tree he would be sentenced to six  months in jail but that is meant only for civilians not the military as the department is afraid to take action against them,” a local in Tawnzang town said.

Similarly, military authorities in, Arakhan state and Mague division are collecting taxes from wood traders claiming they are authorized to collect tax.