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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

"Teak is Torture" & Burma's Reign of Terror

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

http://forests.org/

3/29/97

OVERVIEW, SOURCE & COMMENTARY by EE

Following is an excellent informational background article concerning

the highly destructive Burma Teak trade and its environmental and

oppressive consequences. This item comes from the group Rainforest

Relief.

g.b.

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Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 08:04:50 -0800 (PST)

From: Rainforest Relief <relief@igc.apc.org>

To: Multiple recipients of <RainForest@gdarwin.cox.miami.edu>

Subject: Teak Week of Action

R A I N F O R E S T R E L I E F ' S

INTERNATIONAL

T E A K W E E K O F A C T I O N

July 1 - July 7, 1997

Protesting the continuing oppression of the Burmese people and the

destruction of their rainforests by the SLORC. Burma is the source of

the majority of internationally traded teak.

BURMA'S REIGN OF TERROR

"TEAK IS TORTURE"

A military coup in Burma in 1962 began a reign of terror and

oppression that continues to this day. In 1988, after tens of

thousands of Burmese rallied for democracy, the military junta formed

the SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) to "keep order",

composed of numerous high-level generals, and then gunned down

thousands of demonstrators. In the following years continued protests

brought about general elections. The democratic party won over 80% of

the Parliamentary seats. However, the military declared the elections

null and void and refused to yield power. The SLORC generals use

forced labor, rape, torture, forced relocation and intimidation to

control the people of Burma.

Until recently, large areas of southern and eastern Burma had remained

relatively free from military rule due to resistance of numerous

indigenous ethnic groups such as the Mon, Karen and Karenni. However,

with massive inputs of new capital, largely from selling natural gas

concessions offshore, a "cleansing" operation has ensued. Much of this

capital has come from the American energy giants, Unocal and Texaco;

the French energy giant, Total and a Thai company, PTT. The cleansing"

involves burning villages, raping and torturing villagers, forced

labor and forced relocation. Another prize: the intact hardwood

forests of the south.

Cases of forced labor have been documented by the SLORC in logging

operations.

LIQUIDATING FORESTS

Burma is home to the world's last primary teak forests and some of the

largest virgin rainforests remaining in mainland Asia -- which are now

being liquidated to fund the SLORC's rule. Many of these forests are

home to rare species such as the Asian Rhino, Asian Elephant and

others.

The SLORC is now once again increasing hardwood logging. Teak and

hardwood harvest increased dramatically in the early 1990, then fell

when the borders with Thailand were closed and is now again on the

rise. State-run total hardwood extraction in 1991-92 was over one

million cubic tons. The SLORC-controlled Minister for Forestry,

Lieutenant General Chit Shwe, recently stated that teak forests will

be logged to increase economic development, calling for full support

of the private sector in the development of "forestry". The SLORC is

providing assistance to private companies for expansion and

investment, having exempted forestry products exports from commercial

tax since May, 1996.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy,

calls this kind of economic "development" "crony capitalism". The

generals and their friends get rich, while the Burmese populace

starves.

Taking advantage of the tax holiday, Sunwood Industries Plc's holding

company, the Sunti Forestry group, is building high-tech teak

processing factories in Burma which will provide a steady flow of teak

furniture parts for Sun, Thailand's largest exporter of teak

furniture.

Sunti Forestry Group is one of the world's largest exporters of teak

furniture, mostly to markets in the United States, Europe and Japan.

THE IMPORTER'S ROLE

IN the US, teak is used for indoor and outdoor furniture, interior

trim, boat trim & decking and small consumer items like spice racks,

salad bowls and napkin holders.

Some of the largest buyers in Europe are the Scandinavian furniture

manufacturers which supply Scandinavian furniture stores in the US and

Europe such as Scandinavian Design, Happy Viking, Scan Design, Dania,

etc. Most of these individually operated stores carry similar

inventories, buying from the same suppliers. They claim, of course,

that selling teak helps the people of "Myanmar" achieve economic

"development" and gives them jobs but fail to mention that the SLORC

is using the money from the sale of teak to buy more weapons to use

against the very people the companies say they are benefiting.

With the full support of the Burmese democratic government-in-exile,

Rainforest Relief has called for an international boycott of teak from

Burma. Since most of the teak exported from Thailand, Singapore and

Taiwan is Burmese in origin, this includes teak from those countries

until they can prove it is not from Burma.

Rainforest Relief is against the logging, export. import or purchase

of tropical rainforest woods unless they originate from an operation

that has been certified by an independent organization accredited by

the Forest Stewardship Council.

What You Can Do:

We can pressure Burmese teak logging by pressuring consumers in the

US, Europe and Japan to stop buying teak furniture and other teak

products from Burmese teak.

Organize a demonstration at the Scandinavian furniture retailer

nearest you (you can find them in the phone book under Furniture --

Retail. Look for "Scandinavian designs" or "teak" in the ads).

Go in and ask them where the wood comes from (they will probably have

some propaganda to hand you about sustainable production and

plantations).

Write to the heads of these stores asking them to cease selling teak

(and mahogany) unless it is independently certified. Let them know you

are planning to demonstrate in July, and give them a reasonable date

by which to respond to your letter. They will either not respond, or

they'll tell you to take a hike (which you should do anyway, in a

forest near you).

Organize rallies in front of these stores between July 1st and 7th.

Signs can read: "Leave Burma's Teak Forests Alone", "[Store Name] Out

of the Rainforests", "Stop Funding Human Rights Abuses in Burma",

"When You Buy Teak, You Pay For Rape and Torture of the Burmese

People", "No Teak For Guns", "This Furniture is Stained With the Blood

of Innocent Burmese", etc.

Contact Rainforest Relief for flyer originals and further information.

Get your town to pass a tropical timber resolution barring the use of

tropical hardwoods unless they are independently certified (call,

write or email us for sample ordinances).

Get your school or workplace to pass a resolution to do the same.

Let's leave Burma's forests for the Burmese, the Rhinos and the

Elephants.

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RAINFOREST RELIEF

WHY NOT TO BUY TEAK

When you buy a teak wood product you are funding the destruction of

tropical forests and the illegal military regime of Burma. The demand

for teak is fueling massive deforestation in Burma, having been

responsible for the loss of entire forests in many other countries.

The repressive illegal regime of Burma is selling off its teak and

other hardwoods to pay for the purchase of arms to quell the democracy

movement.

TROPICAL FORESTS AT RISK

Teak (Tectona grandis) is native to the tropical forests of Southeast

Asia and India. Teak logging began in earnest in the area during the

British colonial period. British demand for teak ships eliminated most

teak in India and eventually Thailand. Thailand and more recently

Cambodia, have had to institute bans on the export of unprocessed logs

in an attempt to slow deforestation that has led to massive flooding

and drought in those countries. Current teak production now comes

almost entirely from Burma.

Teak logging, like most tropical logging, causes extreme degradation

to the tropical forest. Since teak trees are sporadically dispersed

throughout the forest, loggers travel further into the primary forest

creating miles of roads to haul logs to mills. Logging roads play a

fundamental role in allowing further deforestation of primary forests

in Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

In addition, Burmese and Thai loggers use elephants to move logs

around, drugging the animals with large amounts of amphetamines, to

which they can become addicted. Many elephants get sick and die

because of overwork due to the pressure to log teak at ever faster

rates.

BURMA

In 1988, the Burmese military government gunned down thousands of

pro-democracy demonstrators. Forced to have general elections in 1990,

the military declared the elections null and void when the democracy

party, the NLD, won over 80% of the Parliamentary seats. Since then,

the military regime in Burma renaming themselves the State Law and

Order Restoration Council (SLORC) has ruled the country using

repression, torture, imprisonment, rape and murder to hold on to

power.

Additionally, it's estimated that half of the government's income is

from trafficking in heroin, as Burma is the source for an estimated

60% of the world trade.

Teak is the second largest legal money-maker for the SORC. In 1992-93,

Burma extracted nearly one million cubic tons of teak logs with state

owned or contracted operations, up from 700,000 in 1983.

Claims that teak production helps the Burmese people are false, since

the democratically elected government has never been allowed to take

office, and funds generated from teak and heroin sales are not going

any further then the pockets of the generals and their rich friends.

THE IMPORTER'S ROLE

China is the largest importer of teak logs from Burma, with Thailand

the second largest. Much of this teak is processed for re-export as

furniture and small consumer items. The United States and Europe are

the final destinations of large amounts of teak, either lumber or

finished products. Much of the teak lumber imports are used in

construction of yachts and boats, a luxury the Burmese can ill afford.

What You Should Do

By buying Burmese teak you are threatening the largest remaining

pristine tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,

Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has asked that other nations stop

investing in Burma until democracy can be restored.

Do not buy (or, if you are an architect or interior designer, do not

specify) teak or other tropical hardwoods unless they are certified as

coming from an ecologically sound operation (less than 1% of

production). If you have questions about these claims, call Rainforest

Relief for verification. We can also supply you with information on

sources of certified tropical woods.

Boycott stores that sell teak that is not certified. Common outlets

include "Scandinavian" furniture stores. You probably have one in your

area. Call Rainforest Relief to coordinate demonstrations and other

actions at these stores.

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You are encouraged to utilize this information for personal

educational and campaign use. All efforts are made to provide

accurate, timely pieces; though ultimate responsibility for verifying

all information rests with the reader. Check out our Gaia Forest

Conservation Archives at URL= http://forests.org/

Networked by Ecological Enterprises, gbarry@forests.org