The list of crimes perpetrated by gangs involved in the trade of illegal timber is extensive. According to the “Green Carbon: Black Trade” report by INTERPOL and the United Nations’ Environment Program, illegal logging has been linked to a rise in cases of murder, corruption, fraud and theft. Source: Radio Australia
The document outlines how gangs across the world forge documents, pay bribes and intimidate villagers.
Davyth Stewart, Criminal Intelligence Officer for Interpol’s Environmental Crime Program, said this is particularly concerning considering how widespread the practice of illegal logging has become.
There are some places where 50 to 70% of the timber coming out of those countries is illegal.
The areas that are most concerning in south east Asia are Myanmar, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Cambodia and Laos.
There has been a lot of investment in Vietnam around tackling illegal logging and improving their logging practices, but unfortunately that appears to have caused a shift of pressure onto Cambodia and Laos.
Now there seems to be a lot of illegal logging in Cambodia and Laos to supply the market in Vietnam.
The situation in Cambodia was thrown into the international spotlight earlier this year, with the death of the prominent anti-logging activist Chut Wutty. He was shot dead by police in a remote south-western province while taking journalists to the site of illegal logging. Police insist he was armed.
Last month, the body of Hang Serei Oudom, a reporter known for his stories on forest crimes was found in the boot of his car.
The “Green Carbon: Black Trade” report is available online through both the INTERPOL and U-N-E-P websites.
