US imports of ‘blood teak’ from Myanmar continue despite sanctions

An elephant pulls a teak log in Myanmar. Highly coveted teak wood is used in luxury goods such as yachts, furniture and flooring. Photograph: Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters

Thousands of tons of timber from Myanmar have continued to be imported into the US, despite government sanctions against the country’s state-run timber company, a new report from a watchdog environmental advocacy group has revealed.

According to the UK-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), over 3,000 tons of timber from Myanmar have been imported into the US over the lpst two years.