Written By: Dan Shell
So you think you’ve got it bad? Complaining about EPA regulations or state weight laws? Well, consider yourself lucky that you’re not one of 155 Chinese loggers swept up in a series of arrests in neighboring Myanmar, charged with “illegal logging” and—get this—all given life sentences or at least 20 years, whichever comes first (and in the case of Myanmar prisons, we’re definitely betting on life). The story ended well in early August when the Myanmar government released the 155 Chinese nationals in a goodwill gesture to foster better China-Myanmar relations in Myanmar’s Kachin state on the Chinese border. The area has been wracked by an insurrection since 2011 and government troops, rebels and Chinese nationals have all been accused of profiting from illegal forest activities and other natural resource plundering.
For the full story visit https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/myanmar-frees-chinese/2018204.html.