Police capture logging ship in Papua<\/p>\n
Nethy Dharma Somba and Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura\/Medan<\/p>\n
The nationwide drive against illegal logging continued as the
\npolice apprehended a foreign ship carrying illegal logs in Papua
\nand a minister revealed that a number of officials were allegedly
\ninvolved in the rampant illegal logging.<\/p>\n
The police in Sarmi regency bordering Papua New Guinea were
\nstill bringing the ship, logging equipment and nine crew members
\nfrom Sarmi to Jayapura seaport for further investigation.<\/p>\n
Reliable sources at the Sarmi Police station said the ship
\nGodrilabuan II which was chartered by Malaysian timber baron Lai
\nRue Tang to supply two timber companies PT Jutha Daya Perkasa and
\nPT Papua Limbah Mewah in Takar district, was held because it did
\nnot have a license to operate in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The sources said all detainees, the ship and logging equipment
\nwere moved to Jayapura because the police would thoroughly
\ninvestigate the case and seek detailed information on illegal
\nlogging activities in the province.<\/p>\n
The detainees consisting of three Indonesians, five Malaysians
\nand one Filipino and the ship was expected to arrive in Jayapura
\nearly on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Separately Papua governor Jaap Solossa demanded that the
\ncentral government take action against corrupt security personnel
\nfrom the local police and Navy units who have backed the ravaging
\nof forests in the province.<\/p>\n
\"Illegal logging is rampant in the province because it
\nreceives the backing of corrupt police and Navy personnel in the
\nprovince,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Ecologists also called on the government to take harsh actions
\nagainst all sides involved in illegal logging.<\/p>\n
John Handol, spokesman for an alliance of local environmental
\ngroups, said in Jakarta that Malaysian timber barons who bribed
\nsenior government and security officials to plunder the tropical
\nforests in Papua, have smuggled around 200,000 cubic meters of
\nillegal logs from the province to China and India through the
\nSouthern Philippines.<\/p>\n
\"The smuggling has gone on for nine months and it has involved
\nlocal loggers and is backed by politicians from Jakarta and
\nsecurity officials from the Navy and the National Police,\" Handol
\ntold a press conference held to present the result of their
\ninvestigation into the smuggling of logs from Papua.<\/p>\n
Handol, also coordinator of the environmental group Aliansi,
\nsaid the timber mafia had used the year-long election to shield
\nillegal logging from public attention.<\/p>\n
The modus operandi in the illegal logging was very simple
\nsince local loggers who were paid by the timber barons with cash
\nwere deployed to virgin forests under \"the custody\" of security
\npersonnel from the local Navy command and the local police units,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
\"We have several names of Malaysian timber barons known
\npowerful and untouchable in Papua because they have paid local
\nsecurity authorities to guard them and their business,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the illegal logs were shipped with fake documents from
\nPapua New Guinea (GNP) through Mali in southern Philippines to
\nChina and India, two alleged major destinations of illegal logs
\nfrom Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The timber barons have used many Thai vessels to transport the
\nillegal logs and their crew members were mostly Chinese and
\nThais.<\/p>\n
In Medan, North Sumatra, State Minister for the Environment.
\nS. Kaban warned that he would not compromise with any party
\ninvolved in illegal logging, saying a number of regional heads
\nallegedly involved in such crimes will be brought to court.<\/p>\n
Declining to identify them, the minister revealed that many
\nregional heads have shielded behind the regional autonomy law to
\nabuse their power in the forestry sector in their own region.<\/p>\n
\"Whoever they are, whether they are regional heads or not,
\nthey should not try to seek a compromise from me...,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Kaban and his entourage were here to make a field tour of a
\nreforestation program in Sibisa, Toba regency and in Bukit Lawang
\ntourist resort which was devastated by a flash flood last year.<\/p>",
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