Navin Upadhyay
April 18, 2025
In a blow to cross-border timber smuggling, the Assam Rifles on Friday foiled a major smuggling attempt in Manipur’s Tengnoupal District, intercepting 23 Indian trucks illegally transporting timber valued at approximately Rs 14.28 lakh.
Acting on intelligence inputs, the operation targeted Kampang Khullen, a known smuggling hotspot. The trucks, carrying timber without valid transit permits, were handed over to the Forest Department, along with the detained drivers, for legal action. The seizure underscores the Assam Rifles’ critical role in securing Manipur’s borders and disrupting insurgent funding networks.
The operation, conducted near the Indo-Myanmar border, underscored the persistent challenge of timber smuggling in the region. This illicit trade, fueled by lax enforcement, insurgent groups, and alleged political patronage, threatens Manipur’s rich biodiversity and fuels conflict. This article explores the background, scale, groups involved, destinations, and political links of timber smuggling in Manipur, contextualizing the Assam Rifles’ recent operation within a broader crisis.
Background:
Manipur , which shares a 398-km porous border with Myanmar, has long been a hotspot for illicit cross-border activities, including drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and timber smuggling. The state’s dense forests, rugged terrain, and poorly monitored border crossings create an ideal environment for smugglers. Forest official this correspondent spoke with said Manipur’s forests, rich in high-value species like Burmese teak (Tectona grandis), have become a prime target for illegal logging, driven by soaring global demand for premium hardwoods.
The state’s complex socio-political landscape, marked by ethnic tensions and armed groups, has enabled the trade to thrive. Weak governance, corruption, and inadequate forest monitoring have further exacerbated the problem. The Indo-Myanmar border, particularly in districts like Tengnoupal and Chandel, serves as a conduit for smuggling timber into India, where it is either sold domestically or re-exported to international markets.
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The Scale of Timber Smuggling
The illegal timber trade in Manipur is a multi-crore industry, though precise figures are hard to pin down due to its clandestine nature. Forest officials estimate that thousands of cubic meters of timber, primarily teak and other hardwoods, are smuggled annually, with losses running into hundreds of crores of rupees. The latest seizure of timber in Tengnoupal is just a fraction of the trade’s true scale.s.
Manipur’s forests cover approximately 17,000 square kilometers, but rampant illegal logging has led to significant deforestation. According to a 2021 Forest Survey of India report, Manipur lost nearly 250 square kilometers of forest cover between 2019 and 2021, much of it attributed to illegal felling. The trade’s profitability is driven by the high value of Burmese teak, which fetches premium prices in domestic and international markets. A single cubic meter of teak can sell for Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh, depending on quality and destination.
Timber smuggling in Manipur involves a nexus of actors, including local smugglers, insurgent groups, corrupt officials, and international syndicates. The Assam Rifles’ operation in Tengnoupal targeted a smuggling ring allegedly linked to Valley-Based Insurgent Groups (VBIGs), which rely on illegal timber trade as a major funding source. VBIGs, including groups like the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), operate in Manipur’s valley areas and have been implicated in extortion, smuggling, and illegal logging.
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Local smugglers, often from border communities, play a key role in felling trees and transporting timber across the border. These groups exploit the region’s poverty and lack of alternative livelihoods, recruiting locals to cut trees or act as couriers. The Indo-Myanmar border’s Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allows visa-free travel up to 16 km across the border, is frequently misused to facilitate smuggling.
International syndicates, primarily based in Myanmar, China, and Southeast Asia, are also involved. Myanmar’s ongoing political instability and lax forest governance have made it a hub for illegal logging, with much of the timber smuggled into India through Manipur. Chinese demand for teak and rosewood drives much of the trade, with timber often re-exported from India to China via ports in Kolkata or Chennai.
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Destinations: Where the Timber Goes
The timber smuggled through Manipur follows two primary routes. Domestically, it is transported to cities like Guwahati, Kolkata, and Delhi, where it is used in furniture manufacturing, construction, and luxury goods. The absence of valid transit permits, as seen in the Tengnoupal seizure, is a common tactic to evade detection. Smugglers often use forged documents or bribe officials to move timber through checkpoints.
Internationally, much of the timber is destined for China, the world’s largest consumer of tropical hardwoods. Timber is smuggled across the Indo-Myanmar border into Manipur, then transported to Indian ports for export. Some is also routed through Bangladesh or Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam, where it is processed and re-exported. The global demand for teak, coupled with weak international regulations, ensures a steady market for Manipur’s smuggled timber.
Political Links: A Murky Nexus
The persistence of timber smuggling in Manipur points to deep-rooted political complicity. Several media expose in the past have revealed that local politicians and bureaucrats often protect smugglers in exchange for kickbacks. The trade’s profitability makes it a lucrative source of campaign funding, particularly during elections. In some cases, kins of politicians are directly involved in timber businesses, using their influence to shield illegal operations.
Insurgent groups with political ties further complicate the picture. VBIGs, for instance, are known to extort “taxes” from smugglers and loggers, blurring the line between criminal and insurgent activity. The Assam Rifles’ operation in Tengnoupal, while successful, is unlikely to dismantle the trade without addressing these political linkages. Calls for stricter oversight and independent investigations have been met with resistance, raising questions about the state’s commitment to curbing the menace.
A multi-pronged approach needed:
Tackling the timber smuggling crisis requires strengthening border security, including increased deployment of Assam Rifles and better coordination with Myanmar authorities.l. Reforming the Free Movement Regime to prevent misuse, while respecting local communities, could also help. Domestically, stricter enforcement of forest laws, coupled with anti-corruption measures, is critical to breaking the nexus between smugglers, insurgents, and politicians.
Community-based conservation programs, offering alternative livelihoods to border residents, could reduce local involvement in smuggling. Internationally, India must work with China and ASEAN nations to curb the demand for illegal timber and strengthen global supply chain regulations.
The Assam Rifles’ operation in Tengnoupal is a reminder of the ongoing battle against timber smuggling in Manipur. While the seizure of Rs 14.28 lakh worth of timber is a victory, it is but a small dent in a sprawling, lucrative trade. Until the root causes—poverty, corruption, and insurgent influence—are addressed, Manipur’s forests will remain under siege, with ripple effects for the region’s ecology, economy, and security.
