Cirebon council urges stop to illegal log shipments<\/p>\n
Nana Rukmana and Rusman, Cirebon\/Samarinda<\/p>\n
West Java's Cirebon legislative council has asked local
\nauthorities to stop the shipments of illegal logs at the city's
\nport, which have continued unhindered for the last three years.<\/p>\n
Councillors accused certain government and security officials
\nof backing the crime, which they said cost the state up to Rp 130
\nbillion (US$14.4 million).<\/p>\n
\"Based on our calculations, the state losses caused by the
\nillegal activity reach billions of rupiah. We want the police to
\ntake firm action against them immediately,\" council speaker
\nSuryana said on Saturday, accompanied by deputies Soenaryo HW and
\nHaries Sutamin.<\/p>\n
Suryana said a council investigation showed at least 60 ships,
\nmostly from Kalimantan, loaded and unloaded illegal logs at the
\nCirebon port every month.<\/p>\n
\"This means about 2,160 ships entered Cirebon for the last
\nthree years,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He said if Rp 45 to 60 million in bribes for unauthorized
\nloading and unloading, state losses would be between Rp 97.2
\nbillion and Rp 129.6 billion.<\/p>\n
Suryana said the ships involved in the illegal shipping
\nactivities each had a capacity of at least 500 cubic meters.<\/p>\n
\"What stuns us is that the activities have continued for a
\nlong time and law and security authorities appear to have ignored
\nthem,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The investigation also found that bribery of port officers was
\nrife, he added.<\/p>\n
\"The cargo is already illegal, in addition to the rampant
\ncollection of bribes there. This strengthens our suspicions that
\ncorruption is unchecked at the port,\" Suryana said.<\/p>\n
He said the council had sent a letter to the National Police,
\nthe West Java Police and the Cirebon Police last May asking them
\nto stop the illegal activity in the city.<\/p>\n
\"However, none of them have responded to our request,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Cirebon Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Siswandi said on Saturday
\nthey were following up on the council's findings, but declined to
\ncomment further.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, East Kalimantan Governor Suwarna AF said on
\nSaturday he would attend a meeting on Aug. 4 in Malaysia to
\ndiscuss the issue of illegal logs imported from Indonesia.<\/p>\n
During the Malaysia-Indonesia socio-economic meeting in Sabah,
\nSuwarna said he would ask Malaysia to help fight illegal logging
\nby banning the use of illegal logs from East Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
He said the government had repeatedly urged Malaysia to take
\naction against its nationals involved in illegal logging in
\nIndonesia, but it had not received a positive response.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Nunukan Regent Abdul Hafied Achmad blamed the
\nwidespread illegal logging partly on the government's relaxed
\npolicy of issuing logging permits to those clearing land for oil
\npalm plantations in East Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
Concession holders only felled trees and sold them directly to
\nMalaysia, then abandoned the land that had allegedly been cleared
\nfor plantations, he said.<\/p>\n
\"We have notified the East Kalimantan Forestry Office not to
\nissue any more logging permits for companies without the
\nnecessary capital to invest in oil palm plantations,\" he said.<\/p>\n
An estimated 25,000 hectares of forest areas have been damaged
\nas a result of the lax licensure policy. The area of the regency
\nmeasures 13,841 square kilometers.<\/p>\n
Hafied said the provincial administration should be held
\nresponsible for the forest destruction. \"The authorities have not
\ntaken any action against companies stealing logs,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The regent said forest destruction could also cause social
\nunrest among people who had been recruited by the plantations, as
\ntheir employment never materialized.<\/p>\n
East Kalimantan Forestry Office head Robian said the office
\nhad received the Nunukan regent's request to place the issuance
\nof logging permits under tight control.<\/p>\n
\"We will observe the situation of several companies granted
\npermits before taking any action against them,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Robian said he would heed the request, so as to minimize the
\nextent of damaged forest areas.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cirebon-council-urges-stop-to-illegal-log-shipments-1447893297",
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