15 arrested for smuggling timber in Myanmar

Yangon, July 4 (IANS) Myanmar authorities have arrested 15 suspects involved in an alleged smuggling of timber across the country in the past week, official daily The Mirror reported on Thursday.

According to a report, from June 24 to 30, the authorities arrested the suspects and seized 58.16 tonnes of timber, and four vehicles and machines, reports Xinhua news agency.

The confiscated timber included 20.74 tons of teak, 2.09 tonnes of hardwood and 35.33 tons of other types of timber, it said.

The Forest Department under the country's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation has been cracking down on illegal logging and trading of forest products in various ways, it added.