152 People Receive Life Sentences for Illegal Logging in Myanmar

Myanmar is cracking down on illegal loggers and giving them life in prison, according to Fordaq.

Out of 155 Chinese loggers arrested in Myanmar in January for illegal logging, 152 received a life sentence.

The court that sentenced the loggers used a 1964 law that calls for a prison stay of 10 years to life for stealing, misusing or abusing public property. Typically, the courts have let Chinese loggers return home after they were caught, but “it seems like the authorities have intensified” their mission against illegal loggers, the newspaper said.

China is concerned with the verdict, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang told the newspaper.

The sentences can still be appealed.