KL firms allegedly involved in illegal timber trade<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Timber companies and military personnel in
\nMalaysia are allegedly involved in an illegal timber trade in
\nTarakan, East Kalimantan at the border between the eastern part
\nof Kalimantan and the Malaysian state of Sabah, a senior official
\nsaid here on Friday.<\/p>\n
Secretary-General of the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations
\nsaid the Malaysian companies bought the illegal timber with the
\nprotection of the military.<\/p>\n
\"This illegal timber trading has been on since for last ten
\nyears. It has caused the Indonesian government between US$8
\nmillion and $10 million monthly in potential revenues from the
\nforestry sector,\" he told a news conference.<\/p>\n
According to him, up to 100,000 cubic meters of \"illegal\"
\ntimber are smuggled every month out of Kalimantan and into the
\nMalaysian state via Tarakan,<\/p>\n
He said the illegal timber business in Tarakan was strongly
\nsupported by military personnel from both the Malaysian and
\nIndonesian army as well as corrupt officials of the local
\nforestry office.<\/p>\n
\"In our raid on the illegal logging areas last week, we found
\nbullet shells and military rations identical to those used by the
\nMalaysian Royal Army,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"If the Malaysian military was really present there, they were
\ntrespassing on our territory. I will seek clarification with the
\nauthorities in Sabah,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Suripto said that a military operation involving one battalion
\nof the Army Strategic Reserve Command conducted a raid on the
\nperpetrators of the illegal logging last week in Tarakan at the
\nbehest of President Abdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
\"The operation, however, was a failure because certain people
\napparently leaked plans of the raid beforehand and we could not
\napprehend the perpetrators,\" he said, adding that a lack of
\ncoordination with National Army Headquarters in Jakarta had
\ncaused a one-day delay in the raid.<\/p>\n
He alleged that officers at National Army Headquarters, which
\ncontrolled last week's operation, officials at the local forestry
\noffice and journalists with access to the information, were all
\npotential suspects in leaking news of the raid.<\/p>\n
Suripto said the Malaysian companies involved in the illicit
\ntimber trade were possibly operating as timber or pulp
\nmanufacturers.<\/p>\n
He added that the Malaysian firms were involved in the illegal
\ntimber trade because they needed more logs to meet the higher
\ndemands of the Malaysian paper industry.<\/p>\n
It is estimated that paper manufacturing industries in Sabah
\nand elsewhere in Malaysia need about seven million cubic meters
\nof logs per year, while the local timber companies can only
\nsupply about four million cubic meters per year, he said.<\/p>\n
Suripto, however, declined to name the Malaysian companies,
\nsaying he still needed to obtain more evidence.<\/p>\n
\"I already have the potential suspects in mind. But I can't
\ndisclose who they might be now. Maybe later,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that the Indonesian logging firms, some of which were
\nallegedly in financial trouble and probably had their assets
\ncurrently controlled by the Indonesian Banking Restructuring
\nAgency, sold the timber on the black market to avoid taxes so
\nthat they could earn more of a profit.<\/p>\n
He said Indonesian logging firms had allegedly cut the timber
\noutside their own concession areas and sold the logs illegally on
\nthe border to the buyers, the Malaysian timber or paper
\nmanufacturing companies.<\/p>\n
\"They all are very well organized like the mafia. They wield
\ngreat influence over the forestry offices and law enforcement
\nauthorities in their respective areas,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He said corrupt personnel in the Indonesian army and police
\nforce had notoriously supported the illicit timber trade by
\nprotecting the operations and taking bribes. (cst)<\/p>",
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