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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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Sender: RainForest@gdarwin.cox.miami.edu
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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.