Govt foils log smuggling attempt, detains vessels<\/p>\n
Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government has managed to foil a log smuggling attempt in
\nPangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, and detained three foreign-
\nflagged ships that were to have been used to transport the wood,
\nMinister of Environment Nabiel Makarim said.<\/p>\n
The three vessels were caught red-handed loading logs on Nov.
\n5 by the Navy, which was assisted by the Ministry of Forestry,
\nthe directorate general of sea transportation, the National
\nPolice, Tanjung Priok port authority and the directorate general
\nof customs and excise, Nabiel said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
He added that a total of 31,800 cubic meters of logs valued at
\nUS$4.7 million had been confiscated from the ships, MV Mandarin
\nSea of Singapore, MV Rong Cheng of Hong Kong and MV Von Cheng of
\nChina. The vessels were later sent to the Tanjung Priok port in
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Nabiel said that his office would file charges against the
\nship's owners, whose identities were currently unknown. As for
\nthe problem of smugglers, he admitted it remained difficult to
\ncrack down on them as there was a complex system involved.<\/p>\n
Illegal logging has grown uncontrollably over the past few
\nyears, resulting in extensive damage to the country's forests.
\nThe practice has contributed to the rapid deforestation rate of
\nbetween two and 2.4 million hectares per year.<\/p>\n
It has also resulted in losses to the state amounting to
\nUS$8.4 million a year.<\/p>\n
Masnellyarti Hilman, deputy chief of law enforcement at the
\nEnvironmental Impact Control Agency (Bapedal), confirmed that her
\noffice had yet to identify the owners of the ships.<\/p>\n
Through a case exposure scheduled for Monday, it is expected
\nthat new information regarding the owners will be compiled.<\/p>\n
She said that, based on previous experience, it was not easy
\nto bring cases linked to environmental destruction to court.<\/p>\n
\"It will take about a year before a trial can begin. We are
\nstill in the process of compiling the evidence. Hopefully the
\nprosecutor will not turn down the case,\" Masnellyarti said.<\/p>\n
According to Masnellyarti, the Ministry of Forestry will also
\nfile a lawsuit against the perpetrators, on a charge of
\ntransporting logs without proper documentation.<\/p>",
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