Myanmar Teak

摘要

University of Maine,Orono; Recently, John Sifton of Human Rights Watch contacted Wooden-Boat with concerns about potential increases in illegal teak harvesting in Myanmar following the February 2021 military coup that abrogated the legitimately elected government of the National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Sifton cited various atrocities of the Myanmar military and predicted possible sanctions that could be imposed by the European Union and the United States. But, he warned, "These sanctions are not going to be effective unless they're vigorously enforced, and for that to work, buyers and boatbuilders will need to know more about supply chains and work harder to verify the claims of their suppliers." As I read through Sifton's emails, it felt as if I had replaced Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day, except now the repetitious alarm clock signaled the endless time-loop saga of tropical timber destruction. My first columns on forest degradation were in 1987 (WB No. 78), 1989 (WB No. 87), and 1990 (WB No. 94). A few things have changed since then, but, mostly, the same intractable problems crop up, again and again.