After a long gap in timber trade on the Sino-Burma border, China has resumed importing timber from Kachin state in northern Burma as of early December, said local sources. Environmentalists said the impact on the ecology would be terrible due the rampant logging.

At the moment hectic logging activities are on day and night in Bhamo District after over 300 Chinese trucks and about 1,000 Chinese loggers arrived in early November, said local residents.

A Chinese log truck loaded with timber is heading to the border timber camp in Bhamo district in Kachin state, northern Burma in early this December, 2008.

A Chinese log truck loaded with timber is heading to the border timber camp in Bhamo district in Kachin state, northern Burma in early this December, 2008.
Logging in Bhamo District has resumed following a successful deal struck between Lee Maw Yung, famous Chinese-Burmese timber merchant in Bhamo and Maj-Gen Soe Win, commander of the ruling junta's Northern Command Headquarters (Ma Pa Kha) based in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state, said sources close to both.

A local eyewitness in Manje Township said, logging is taking place in the forests around Manje (Mansi) Township, Sinkhan Township and Shwego Township. The Chinese loggers are cutting both hardwood and softwood. In fact they are felling whatever they lay their eyes on.

Logging is unusual in Bhamo district this time of the year. In the past Chinese loggers directly transported timber as soon as it was cut from different logging sites to the border timber camps in Chinese territory --- the areas near Nong Dao gate and Ruili (Shweli), according to local residents.

Locals living near logging fields derive no benefit from logging because the Chinese timber businessmen hire only Chinese workers for all logging activities.  They also bring full rations with them, said residents of Manje.

In Manje Township, some government offices like that of the Police, Forestry and Township Peace and Development Council (Ma Ya Ka) earn between 200,000 Kyat (US $159) and 300,000 Kyat (US $238) as monthly fee from timber trade whereas the local Burmese Army, Light Infantry Battalion No. 319 earns the highest amount of monthly fee, which is between 5 million Kyat and 10 million Kyat, every month.

Chinese loggers have also entered the softwood logging field called Jubilee Valley in Triangle Area under the control of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO)'s 1st Brigade in northern Kachin state. They are now transporting timber to the China border, said sources in the Sino-Burma border based Kachin Development Networking Group (KDNG).

Mr. Awng Wa, Chairman of KDNG told KNG today, "The responsibility for future bad environmental impacts on local people in Kachin state from non-stop logging will be more on the Northern Command commander Maj-Gen Soe Win than others."

In September, all ethnic Kachin ceasefire groups and timber businessmen were officially granted permission to export timber from Kachin state to China by Commander Maj-Gen Soe Win.