Customs officials in Madagascar threatened to go on strike Monday if the country’s Transition Authority does not reveal the owner of a shipment of six containers of rosewood seized in Mauritius.
“We demand that the names of officials, including the owner, and all donors involved in this case are disclosed in a very short time,” said a spokesman quoted by L’Express de Madagascar.
Rosewood exports from Madagascar were banned last year following international outcry over the destructions of the island’s national parks and an investigation linking members of the Transition Authority — which seized power during a March 2009 military coup — to illegal logging.
Customs workers are upset over the apparent smuggling as well as working conditions.
L’Express de Madagascar also reported the discovery of 180 rosewood logs near the Tolagnaro (Fort Dauphin) airport in southern Madagascar. No arrests have been made.
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