1 year for illegal turtle dealer

1 year for illegal turtle dealer

DENPASAR, Bali: The Denpasar District Court sentenced on
Wednesday a 46-year-old man to one year of imprisonment for
illegally trading green turtles (Chelonia mydas).

The court also fined Widji Zakaria, alias Wewe, Rp 3 million
for the offense.

Judge Ngakan Putu Menuh said that the court had adequate
evidence to prove that the defendant had conducted illegal
activities, including poaching, transporting and selling green
turtles.

"The activities are against Law No. 5/1990 on natural resource
conservation," he said.

Public prosecutor Paino had earlier demanded that the court
sentence the defendant to 17 months in prison.

The defendant's lawyer, Mandi Widiana, said that he would
probably appeal.

It was the second trial of green turtle trading in Bali.
Several weeks earlier Maliyani, 45, a skipper on one of Wewe's
boats, was sentenced to eight months in prison for illegally
transporting green turtles.

He was arrested on Oct. 4 of last year in waters off Tanjung
Benoa, a harbor village some 30 kilometers south of here.
Maliyani had just returned from a poaching expedition in Sulawesi
and was caught with around 93 live green turtles on the boat he
commanded. His capture led to the later arrest of Widji Zakaria.

Turtle trading is a very lucrative business in Bali. The
street price for one green turtle can reach as high as Rp
500,000. The authorities have reported that more than 10,000
turtles are traded every year.

A report released by the Malang-based NGO Animal Conservation
for Life said that around 28,000 turtles were traded in Bali in
the year 1999 alone. (zen)