Forest burners have to prove innocence<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Environment Sarwono
\nKusumaatmadja warned yesterday that owners of plantation and
\ntimber companies alleged by the government of causing widespread
\nfires in Sumatra and Kalimantan have until Oct. 1 to prove
\nthemselves innocent.<\/p>\n
Speaking during a break of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on
\nthe Environment (AMME) here, Sarwono said the government would
\nrevoke their business licenses if they failed to provide
\nsufficient evidence.<\/p>\n
The government on Monday named 50 companies allegedly
\nresponsible for using burning methods for land clearing.<\/p>\n
Twenty-two companies in Riau, 14 in West Kalimantan, and 14
\nothers in East Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
"In order to prove that they did not practice the burning
\nmethods they can go to Mapindo to get a map of their concession
\nareas and overlay the map with satellite images (interpreting hot
\nspots), which they can get from Lapan," Sarwono said.<\/p>\n
The minister was referring to PT Mapindo Parama which has
\ntaken aerial photos of about 85 million hectares of Indonesia's
\nforests since 1990, about 76 percent or 65 million hectares of
\nwhich is production forests.<\/p>\n
Lapan is the country's National Space and Aviation Agency.<\/p>\n
The companies are required to make their defense in a dossier
\nwhich will later be cross-checked by a joint team from the local
\nadministration, Ministry of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and
\nMinistry of Transmigration.<\/p>\n
Sarwono could not understand why companies still practiced
\nburning methods despite the introduction of other land clearing
\nmethods by the government two years ago.<\/p>\n
"It's time to catch the culprits now, whoever they are and no
\nmatter who is backing them," Sarwono said.<\/p>\n
At least 300,000 hectares of land and forests in Sumatra and
\nKalimantan have been destroyed by fire in the last three months,
\nendangering the lives of up to 40 million people here and
\nneighboring Malaysia and Singapore.<\/p>\n
The second of the three-day ASEAN meeting proceeded smoothly
\nyesterday with delegates agreeing to adopt actions which would
\nboost environmental awareness in the region.<\/p>\n
ASEAN was established as a sociopolitical organization in 1967
\nand comprises Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
\nPhilippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
Delegates revealed yesterday that the meeting had agreed to
\nestablish an ASEAN Environment Year in 2000.<\/p>\n
Also starting in 2000, a special triennial environmental award
\nwill be presented to recognize individuals with outstanding
\ncontributions to the protection and betterment of the environment
\nboth nationally and regionally.<\/p>\n
Other proposal items adopted included a recommendation for the
\nimplementation of long-term environmental goals for air and river
\nwater quality. (aan)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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