Military slammed for releasing poachers<\/p>\n
Oyos Saroso, The Jakarta Post, Bandar Lampung<\/p>\n
A coalition of environmental organizations filed a report with
\nthe Lampung Provincial Police to protest the release of nine Navy
\ntroops suspected of involvement in illegal animal hunting at the
\nprotected Way Kambas National Park.<\/p>\n
The non-governmental coalition includes the Indonesian Forum
\nfor Environment (Walhi), Wanacala, Mitra Bentala, Watala, Cagar
\nAlam, LK2I and LSPM.<\/p>\n
They demanded that the nine suspects be detained for intensive
\nquestioning and investigation, saying that should they be found
\nguilty, they should be dismissed.<\/p>\n
\"... And what has been the practice so far ... Some members of
\nthe police Mobile Brigade had been arrested for crimes, but were
\nlater released and their cases closed,\" said Mukri Friatna, head
\nof Walhi's advocacy division in Lampung.<\/p>\n
The nine troops were arrested on Sunday along with five
\ncivilian suspects by police and forest guards at Susukan village
\nin Sukadana, East Lampung.<\/p>\n
The soldiers were handed over to the province's Military
\nPolice for investigation, while the five civilians were grilled
\nat the East Lampung District Police Office. All 14 suspects were
\nreleased on Monday.<\/p>\n
Lampung Military Police commander Lt. Col. Firman Achmadi said
\nthe release of the nine troops was approved because a deer seized
\nfrom them as evidence was dead but not due to shot wounds.<\/p>\n
\"I am sure they will not flee,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He claimed his office had questioned the nine suspects and
\nvowed to further investigate them. \"Despite being freed from
\ndetention, the investigation into their case will not be halted.\"<\/p>\n
Firman, however, said he had not determined whether the
\nsoldiers were involved in the illegal animal hunting.<\/p>\n
Walhi Executive Director in Lampung, Mashuri Abdullah, said he
\ndoubted the troops would be brought to trial since the
\ninvestigation was unclear.<\/p>\n
He said the suspects could be charged with violating Law No.
\n5\/1999, which carries a 10-year prison term and a fine of up to
\nRp 500 million.<\/p>\n
\"But this requires commitment from TNI (the Indonesian
\nMilitary) in the province.\"<\/p>\n
Dirman, an activist from LK2I, asserted his group had long
\nsuspected that some military and police officers were involved in
\nsuch crimes.<\/p>\n
\"But we cannot do anything because everything is well
\norganized. The arrest of the nine Navy soldiers should be used as
\na momentum for law enforcement,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Three out of the accused soldiers were identified as residents
\nof Jakarta, while the remaining six and the five civilian
\nsuspects were from Kotabumi in North Lampung.<\/p>\n
Mashuri said such illegal animal hunts have been going on for
\na long time unheeded at the protected Way Kambas National Park.
\nHunters usually carry firearms and drive cars or speed boats, he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
\"Not only do they damage the forest, but also destroy at least
\n15 local mammal species and 20 bird species.\"<\/p>\n
Officers of the locally based Rhino Protection Unit (RPU) have
\nfrequently been involved in clashes with illegal hunters. Most of
\ntheir prey are deer, tigers, elephants and small antelopes.<\/p>\n
Data from the RPU shows that at least 10 deer are shot dead by
\nhunters each week and since 1997 at least five tigers have been
\nkilled by hunters at Way Kambas.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/military-slammed-for-releasing-poachers-1447893297",
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