Perhutani takes over Yamaker's forest areas<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Perum Perhutani president A. Fattah DS confirmed
\non Wednesday the government appointed the state forestry company
\nto take over the management of over one million hectares of
\nforests formerly owned by PT Yayasan Maju Kerja (Yamaker).<\/p>\n
Fattah said Perhutani would allocate some Rp 78 billion (about
\nUS$9l75 million) in initial investment to carry out logging
\noperations in the forests along the Indonesia-Malaysia border in
\nKalimantan.<\/p>\n
\"We are ready to manage the forest areas. We have prepared Rp
\n78 billion in funds for initial operations,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Fattah said the government's new regulation limiting the
\nownership of forest concession areas would not pose a problem for
\nPerhutani in taking over the forests.<\/p>\n
He said that unlike other state forestry companies, Perhutani
\ncarried the government's special mission of empowering people
\nliving near the forests and promoting reforestation programs and
\nwas therefore exempt from the ruling.<\/p>\n
Fattah said other state timber companies, including PT
\nInhutani I to V, should, like private timber companies, abide by
\nthe regulation which limits the ownership of forest concessions
\nto a maximum of 100,000 hectares in a province.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, President B.J. Habibie revoked Presidential
\nDecree No. 44\/1994, which gave logging rights in the \"security
\nbelt\" along the border of East and West Kalimantan to Yamaker,
\nowned by a foundation linked to the Ministry of Defense and
\nSecurity.<\/p>\n
The company's logging contracts, which cover over 834,500
\nhectares of forests in West Kalimantan and 224,000 hectares in
\nEast Kalimantan, were revoked earlier this month.<\/p>\n
Minister of Forestry and Plantations Muslimin Nasution said
\nYamaker's logging rights were revoked because the company did not
\ntake its responsibility to develop the forests seriously, and
\nallowed its concession areas to be degraded through rampant
\ntimber theft.<\/p>\n
He also said Yamaker allegedly cooperated with several
\nMalaysian companies to smuggle logs from Indonesian forests in
\nKalimantan to neighboring Malaysia.<\/p>\n
The ministry's investigations, he said, indicated that more
\nthan 100,000 cubic meters of logs were smuggled out of Kalimantan
\ninto Malaysia through Yamaker's logging area from July to October
\n1998, causing a loss of Rp 134 billion to the country.<\/p>\n
Muslimin said his office's investigation indicated the company
\nsmuggled between 100 cubic meters and 300 cubic meters of logs
\nper day from the company's concession areas since it began
\noperating in 1992.<\/p>\n
Muslimin said the contract originally was given to Yamaker
\nbecause the forests were considered a security zone, so \"it was
\nthought better if the area was managed by an Armed Forces-linked
\ntimber firm\".<\/p>\n
\"Our decision shows that the government will not hesitate to
\nrevoke licenses or contracts of disobedient companies no matter
\nwho owns the companies,\" Muslimin said.<\/p>\n
Yamaker's executives were not available for comment on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
Fattah said most of Yamaker's concession areas in West
\nKalimantan had been exploited, while the concession areas in East
\nKalimantan still contained virgin forests.<\/p>\n
The productive area of Yamaker's West Kalimantan forest
\nconcession is only 84,450 hectares out of 843,000 hectares, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The East Kalimantan concession areas still contain 129,043
\nhectares of virgin forests, he said.<\/p>\n
Fattah said his company would cooperate with the Tanjungpura
\nMilitary Command overseeing Kalimantan on security along the
\nIndonesia-Malaysia border. (gis)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/perhutani-takes-over-yamakers-forest-areas-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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