Myanmar seizes over 82 tonnes of illegal timber in one week

A worker looks on amid a pile of logs at a holding area along the Yangon river in Yangon on July 23, 2015. Beijing on July 23 hit out at long jail sentences handed to more than 150 Chinese nationals for illegal logging in Myanmar, in the latest tremor to shake relations between the neighbours. AFP PHOTO / Ye Aung THU

YANGON: Myanmar authorities have seized over 82 tonnes of illegal timber across the country in a week, the state-run daily The Mirror reported on Friday (Nov 7).

The authorities confiscated 16.79 tonnes of teak, 9.44 tonnes of hardwood and 56.04 tonnes of other types of timber between Oct. 27 and Nov. 2, the report said.

During the operation, 16 offenders were charged, and nine vehicles and machines were also seized, it added.

The country's Forest Department has been cracking down on illegal logging and trade of forest products through various measures, including a community monitoring and reporting system, the report said. - Xinhua