Myanmar: Despite Sanctions, US Companies Still Importing Myanmar Teak, Report Says

Jan 11, 2022 | Sheryl Lee Tian Tong, Mongabay
View Original

U.S. timber companies imported nearly 1,600 metric tons of teak from Myanmar last year, circumventing sanctions and channeling millions of dollars in revenue to the country’s junta, according to a new report. As violent crackdowns rocked Myanmar in the wake of its February 2021 coup, the U.S. placed sanctions on the military-controlled Myanma Timber Enteprise (MTE) in April. The state-owned enterprise, which regulates all harvesting and sales of Myanmar timber, including exports to international markets where it takes a percentage of revenue, is one of the “key economic resources for the Burmese military regime that is violently repressing pro-democracy protests,” officials said at the time.