Greenpeace targets Malaysia in timber protest
Greenpeace targets Malaysia in timber protest
Agencies, Bangkok
Activists handcuffed themselves to the gates of the Malaysian embassy in Bangkok on Wednesday, demanding tighter controls on trade in a valuable tropical timber used in furniture, window blinds and pool cues.
About a dozen Greenpeace protesters, four of them wearing orange jump suits and chained to the gate, called on Malaysia to back Indonesia's proposal at a wildlife conference in Bangkok to limit trade in wood from the Ramin tree.
"In order to protect this species and the forests it comes from, we must act now. We cannot wait one minute longer," said Alex Ryan, a campaigner for the environmental group.
Ramin is a hardwood tree found in the lowland forests of Malaysia and Indonesia.
Greenpeace said rampant illegal logging and smuggling of the timber through Malaysia was rapidly destroying the forests and the animals that live in them.
"The forests in Sumatra where Ramin is found are pegged to be completely devastated by the year 2005," Ryan said.
"It's also the habitat for endangered orang-utan. It's also where you can find the endangered Sumatran tiger".
Indonesia is expected to put forward a proposal to protect the Ramin tree on Thursday at the two-week meeting of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Bangkok which ends on Oct. 14.
If the plan is approved by the 166 member governments of CITES, Ramin would be listed in the Appendix 2 category which would strictly control trade of the species.
The Malaysian government has indicated it would support Indonesia's proposal if trade restrictions are not applied to already-made Ramin products and if they are not enforced for another year.
Greenpeace opposes Malaysia's amendments, arguing they would render the proposal useless.
In a related development, Greenpeace said on Wednesday that Singapore remains a major hub for the global trade in illegal timber. It called on the city-state to set up a dedicated law enforcement unit to crack down on the problem.
The international environment group brought its flagship Rainbow Warrior vessel to Singapore to highlight what it said was new evidence of criminal smuggling of endangered hardwood from Indonesia into Singapore and Malaysia.
"It is quite evident that if countries in the region do not act now to stop the destruction of rain forests and illegal trade, we will soon have nothing to protect," Greenpeace forest campaigner Tim Birch said.
"Countries like Singapore and Malaysia hold the future of not only timber species, but of all plants, animals and communities that live in and depend on forests, in their hands."
Greenpeace released documents to reporters showing photos of boats laden with endangered ramin timber from the forests of Riau province in Sumatra, Indonesia, that were bound for Singapore and Malaysia.