The US Treaury Deparment has placed 26 people and 17 companies from Myanmar on its frozen asset lists. From the AFP (via Google News): The US authorities said Thursday it had frozen the assets of 26 individuals and 17 firms tied to drug trafficking in Myanmar and prohibited US citizens from dealing with them. Targeted were those linked [...]

The bones, skin, and claws of tigers are openly being sold in Burma. From the AFP (via Google News): Skins, claws and bones from at least 1,158 tigers and other protected big cats have been spotted in open markets in Myanmar during surveys conducted over the last 18 years, according to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report. More [...]

Source:  International Intellectual Property Alliance, ” IIPA 2006 ” Special 301″ Recommendations,” Asian Pacific Region, February 13, 2006.

Victims of the Burma Cyclone have been saved by authorities as they were being smuggled into neighboring countries. From the Associate Press (Via Google News): More than 80 women and children who were victims of Myanmar’s recent cyclone have been rescued from human traffickers scheming to smuggle them to neighboring countries, a media report said Thursday. Border police [...]

Burmese authorities reported that they have arrested 245 drug traffickers in an attempt to crack down on the trade in drugs within its border. However, many feel that the actions are simply a show and not a dedicated effort to stem the trade. From the Sydney Morning Herald: Burma is the second largest opium-producing nation after Afghanistan. The military [...]

Burma/Myanmar is the world’s second largest producer of illicit opium after Afghanistan, accounting for more than 90 percent of heroin in Southeast Asia. Source: United States Department of State, “2006 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report,” Southeast Asia: Burma, March 2006.

n the 2006 World Drug Report, the UN estimates the area of opium poppy cultivation to be at 32,800 hectares. The total estimated production of opium in 2005 was estimated at 312 metric tons. Source:nited Nations, “2006 World Drug Report,” Office on Drugs and Crime, June 2006, pg. 209.

According to a report by the Associated Press, legitimate CDs and DVDs are sold around $1.50, where pirated copies are sold under the table for prices as low as 30 cents. One seller was quoted as saying that he makes $13 a day selling pirated goods in Burma. The average income in Burma is about [...]

1.5 million tonnes of timber worth $350 million was smuggled into China from Myanmar’s teak forests in 2006. Source: “Myanmar wildlife pays the price for Chinese demand,” Reuters UK, September 3, 2007.

Last week, 54 migrants died while attempting to cross the border from Myanmar to Thailand. Reuters reports on the conditions that leads to the thousands of Burmese migrants who are attempting to be smuggled into Thailand. From Reuters: The fate of the 120 people smuggled in a stifling hot 20-ft container truck last week — of whom 54 [...]