Subject: Teak is Torture in Burma
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"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
To: Multiple recipients of
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.