Security personnel aid timber thieves<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The theft and smuggling of logs in the country
\nis highly organized and supported by security personnel and some
\nofficials, a top government official said.<\/p>\n
Secretary-general of the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations
\nSuripto told journalists in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on
\nSaturday that the thieves equipped themselves with sophisticated
\ncommunication devices.<\/p>\n
\"The equipment is even better than that belonging to the 30th
\nBattalion of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad),\"
\nSuripto said, referring to the Army unit deployed on the border
\nbetween Indonesia and Sabah in Malaysia to counter log smuggling.<\/p>\n
Destruction of forests bordering East Kalimantan and East
\nMalaysia has now reached 14 kilometers into Indonesia, according
\nto Suripto as reported by Antara.<\/p>\n
Suripto, a retired serviceman, said the logs were commonly
\nsmuggled to neighboring countries like from Jambi to west
\nMalaysia, from West Kalimantan to Serawak, from East Kalimantan
\nto Sabah, and from Irian Jaya and Maluku to the People's Republic
\nof China.<\/p>\n
The smugglers always manage to evade crackdowns, thanks to
\ninformation leaked by the security personnel they recruit, he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Suripto was accompanying forestry and plantations minister Nur
\nMahmudi Ismail, who visited Pontianak seaport to witness the
\nseizure of 70 containers of stolen logs, which were to be shipped
\nto Singapore onboard the Clover.<\/p>\n
The ship was ordered to return to the seaport six hours after
\nembarking on Wednesday after students held officials at the
\nseaport hostage. The students resorted to the action after their
\nefforts to convince the officials that the ship was carrying
\nillegal logs failed.<\/p>\n
\"We are very proud of the students,\" Mahmudi said on Saturday.
\nHe added he would award them.<\/p>\n
Suripto said his office was trying to break the theft ring's
\ninfrastructure, including by destroying the road built by the
\ngroup to smuggle the logs.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, spokesman for the
\nprovincial police Lt. Col. Faah Soemarno denied Suripto's
\nallegation that local police were involved in the log stealing.<\/p>\n
\"It's not unfair to accuse the police and security personnel.
\nThere are only 30 police available to watch out a span of 1,000
\nkilometers along the border,\" Faah said, adding that the ministry
\nand forest police were responsible for measures to prevent the
\ndestruction of the forest near Malaysia's border.<\/p>\n
Faah said the personnel were simply unable to prevent the
\nstealing, and that people suspected they allowed the thefts to go
\non.<\/p>\n
\"The ministry's regional office should control the group's
\noperations and provide security personnel with adequate
\nfacilities,\" Faah said, adding that the office had promised the
\npolice a helicopter.(08)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/security-personnel-aid-timber-thieves-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}