Army promises to step up control of sand quarrying

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso said yesterday his office would intensify control over illegal sand quarrying within the Seribu (Thousand) Islands chain in North Jakarta.

"A team will be set up soon in cooperation with the Navy, the City administration, the water police and other related offices," he said in a ceremony for the handover of the East Jakarta Military District office from the municipality to the military command.

Sutiyoso said the team's activities would not only deal with illegal sand quarrying, but also other activities such as fish bombing, littering in the sea and smuggling.

"I'm aware that the Seribu Islands area is a target of some irresponsible parties, because its environs enable criminals to easily hide. But it does not mean we have to be soft on this," he said.

Illegal sand quarrying is believed to have caused six islets in the Seribu Islands chain to disappear.

The six islands are Pulau Ubi, Pulau Damar, Pulau Laki, Pulau Nirwana, Pulau Dapur and Pulau Nyamuk.

Two of the islands, Pulau Laki and Pulau Nyamuk were home to many birds species.

City counselor Saud Rachman of Commission D for development affairs said earlier that the disappearance of the islands could possibly be blamed on collusion between officials of the city administration and big contractors in several projects, including large-scale land reclamation on the North Jakarta coast, which required large quantities of sand.

"The city has to make sure that developers do not take building materials, such as sand, from the Thousand Islands," he said.

Saud regretted the lack of control by officials regarding sand quarrying.

The deputy governor of economic and development affairs, T.B. Rais, said earlier that reclamation projects would need 200 million cubic meters of sand, which would be taken from underwater sand quarrying in Banjir Kanal Timur river and 13 other rivers in North Jakarta.

North Jakarta Mayor H. Suprawito pledged his office would continue its joint operation with police and custom officers to prevent and take action against illegal sand quarrying and other illegal activities in Jakarta Bay.

"This year alone, we have caught over 100 fishermen involved in illegal fishing and activities such as sand quarrying," he said.

Suprawito also said he had warned several companies found quarrying outside their permitted areas and others that were quarrying without permits. (07)