Truck carrying raw logs in Myanmar. Photo courtesy of EIA
155 Chinese citizens have been arrested in Myanmar for illegal logging, reports Agence France-Presse.
According to a statement from China’s foreign ministry, the Chinese nationals were arrested in Myanmar’s Kachin state. Few details about the circumstances of their arrest were available.
Unregulated logging in Myanmar’s northern forests is widespread. Chinese companies are the most dominant foreign entities in the sector, at times spurring local backlash.
Illegal logging is a major issue in Myanmar. According to an analysis published last year by the Environmental Investigative Agency (EIA), 72 percent of logs exported from Myanmar between 2000-2013 were illegally harvested.
In an effort to stem illegal logging, in 2014 Myanmar established a ban on raw log exports.
