Investigators tell how they uncovered smuggling<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
\"This is a smuggler...ha...ha.... He is a mafia
\n(member)...ha...ha...,\" an unidentified man told undercover
\ninvestigators.<\/p>\n
He pointed his finger at a Singaporean in a yellow checked
\nshirt, who was counting stash of cash on his desk.<\/p>\n
The Singaporean smiled and said, \"The problem is that somebody
\nasks me to smuggle. The problem is the buyer. No buyer, no
\nsmuggling.\"<\/p>\n
\"This smuggling is better than drug smuggling. Drug smuggling
\nis no good. This one is OK,\" he said in a heavy Sing-lish
\n(Singaporean English) accent.<\/p>\n
That was a dialog captured on video and presented by the
\nLondon-based Environmental Investigative Agency (EIA) and its
\nIndonesian partner, Telapak, when unveiling their investigation
\ninto the world's biggest smuggling operation of merbau (intsia)
\nfrom Papua province to China.<\/p>\n
The timber smuggling involves around 300,000 cubic meters of
\ntimber a month and generates around US$1 billion in revenue. The
\ntwo NGOs claimed that the racket was the world's biggest
\nsmuggling operation in terms of one species of timber being
\nsmuggled from one place to another.<\/p>\n
\"The huge illegal trade of merbau logs between Indonesia and
\nChina is the world's biggest environment-related crime and it
\nendangers Papua forests,\" said John Newman, an EIA investigator.<\/p>\n
Arbi Valentinus of the Bogor-based Telapak told The Jakarta
\nPost that the three-year investigation started in 2002, based on
\nreports received from Papuans and local media.<\/p>\n
\"There were news reports on rampant illegal logging in Papua
\nthat they had never seen before,\" Arbi said after releasing the
\nreport: The Last Frontier at a media conference on Thursday in
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
His colleague, M. Yayat Afianto, said the investigation had
\nbeen perfectly prepared before they traveled from the eastern tip
\nof Indonesia to the industrial town of Nanxun in China.<\/p>\n
\"We studied the history of forest management in the area and
\ncontacted people in Papua to assist us in accessing the logging
\nareas and talked to the tribal communities,\" he said.<\/p>\n
At the same time, EIA was trying to uncover the chain of
\nsyndicates that stretched across Asia and involved high profile
\nbusinessmen, high-ranking military personnel and customs
\nofficials. Each played an important role from preparing shipping
\ndocuments to finding buyers.<\/p>\n
The two NGOs spent around Rp 200 million (around $21,750) for
\nsending two-person teams periodically to document the individuals
\ninvolved in the racket. In conducting the investigation, the team
\nhad to pose as timber businessmen or bird-watchers.<\/p>\n
Several members of the teams received threats from
\nunidentified persons, who felt threatened by their
\ninvestigations.<\/p>\n
\"With regard to the bureaucrats, we didn't have many problems.
\nThey were cooperative. But some of our friends received phone
\nthreats saying that they would harm their families,\" said Yahya.<\/p>\n
But, the threats did not deter them from going ahead with the
\ninvestigation. However, the deforestation of more than three
\nmillion hectares a year was more fearful to them than the
\nthreats.<\/p>\n
Moreover, the investigators felt that the Papuans had suffered
\nlosses from the rampant theft, he said.<\/p>\n
\"An elderly villager in Papua once told us how timber
\ncompanies extracted 5,000 cubic meters of merbau from a site but
\nonly paid the locals Rp 7 million,\" the report said.<\/p>\n
Merbau is one of the most valuable species of wood in
\nSoutheast Asia and is often used as flooring. It is worth about
\nUS$270 per cubic meter. (006)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/investigators-tell-how-they-uncovered-smuggling-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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