The township municipal and forest departments are into confiscating timber belonging to local people over the past month in some parts of Chin state, western Burma.

Workers of the departments confiscated 50 to 100 cubic feet of timber from some villages in Falam townships. It was then sold secretly.

“We gave them 50 cubic feet of timber from our village last month. We were aware that they would sell it outside secretly,” said Mr. Mangkheng, a villager.

The departments are doing the same thing in Lungrang, Tiphir, Tal, Thladawn and Tial Tin villages. “Each village has to give 100 cubic feet of timber to the Forest Department and 50 cubic feet of timber to the Municipal Department,” said a local.

The current market price of one cubic feet of timber is Kyat 3,500. The two departments are into a lucrative business by seizing timber from local people. They are not taking proper taxes from them but collecting excessive and illegal tax. –