Wed, 30 Mar 2005

Boats seized with logs

Naval soldiers stand on one of the three boats towing 3,000 logs of timber suspected to have been illegally felled is docked at the Tanjung Balai Karimun Naval Base, Riau.

Base commander Lt. Col. Bambang Wahyudi told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday the boats were intercepted in waters off Riau Islands on Sunday at 2 a.m and the boats' crews and captains had been arested -- 23 people in total.

"When we checked, the boats' captains could not show documents clarifying that the logs were legal. They also could not show any sailing permits," Bambang said.

The case would be handed over to the forestry and plantation office to be processed, he said.

"We hope that this case will reach court. We don't want bail to be granted so that the legal process can go ahead," Bambang said.

The three boats -- TB Sabang III, KM Mutiara IV and KM Aiwan Jaya -- carried 3,000 logs consisting of meranti, merbau and several other timber species. The boats had loaded the logs at Penyalai, Riau Islands and were heading to the port of Kuala Tungkal in Jambi.

Bambang said 24 vessels had been captured carrying illegal logs this year.

"But it is sad knowing that the legal process is not clear. It is difficult to arrest these vessels in open seas and it's sad knowing these cases will not be processed according to the law," he said.

Mutiara IV captain Bustami said he had only been assigned to deliver the logs to Kuala Tungkal in Jambi. The logs' owner, Fajar Marindo Raya, a company based in Jambi, did not yet know its logs had been seized, he said.

"I don't know if the logs are illegal. Our job is just to deliver them to Jambi. The rest, we don't know. We've only been equipped with a document from the company," Bustami said.--JP/Fadli