BEIJING: A top official of China Customs said that Chinese citizens will face prosecution under Property Protection Act and the Anti-Narcotic Drugs Law on charge of illegal timber extraction.
According to instructions from the Union government, the Kachin State government reportedly handed over the case to the Ministry of Home Affairs to prosecute the Chinese smugglers under the Public Property Protection Act, which could carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
“As soon as we get approval, we will bring them to trial. The government has instructed us to give them a heavy penalty because they engaged in a great deal of log smuggling,” said Customs Colonel San Yu.
An official from the Forestry Department said the smugglers, who were arrested in January, carried out illegal timber extraction for several years.
Regional government officials also said Chinese citizens continue to illegally enter the country and carry out timber extraction across Waimaw Township in Kachin State.
Over 10,000 seized timber logs were handed over to the inspection team of the Forestry Department in Myitkyina. They also arrested 138 Chinese citizens and seized an excavator, three trailers, 436 trucks, four Pajeros, cranes and bicycles during the operation.
The regional government confirmed that the Chinese smugglers would also be charged under the Anti-Narcotics Law because narcotics, including opium, were confiscated from them.
China has reportedly defended its citizens involved in the smuggling case.
Officials from the Forestry Department said Chinese citizens have been smuggling natural resources, including timber, out of Myanmar since 2012.
In the past, Chinese citizens involved in such case would face jail terms between one and five years long, in addition to fines and deportations.
China profits from illegal timber smuggling more than any country in the world, earning about US$7 billion per year. About 90 per cent of its smuggled timber is from Myanmar, according to the Myanmar Forestry Association.
