An environmental group says Burma's famed teak forests are being depleted due to rampant logging by the military government.
The London-based Global Witness released a report saying military units conduct logging operations themselves, transport illegal timber using forced labor and give permission to log and tax legal and illegal logging.
Global Witness said the biggest beneficiaries of the illegal logging trade are the Chinese, who clear-cut vast swathes of virgin forests and transport the lumber to furniture factories in China. It noted that China banned logging in the country in 1988, but accused Beijing of turning a blind eye to Chinese companies exploiting natural resources in Burma.
The report concluded that without any new initiatives, rampant logging will continue until Burma's natural resources are completely exhausted.
Information for this report is provided by AP and Reuters.