Dropping of mangrove case meets with protest

Dropping of mangrove case meets with protest

Damar Harsanto , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After returning the case files on the illegal felling of 240
mangrove trees in protected forest on the Prof. Dr. Sedyatmo toll
road, North Jakarta, for three times to the Jakarta Police, the
Jakarta Prosecutor's Office is ready to drop the case.

However, the plan received strong opposition from both
Governor Sutiyoso and green activists.

The prosecutor's office general crime division head Suhaimi
named the absence of any violation in the case as the reason to
drop it.

"It (the case) is only about the construction of advertisement
billboards along the toll road. In this case, toll road operator
PT Jasa Marga has done nothing wrong. It has complied with the
existing regulations including the Presidential Decree,
Ministerial Decree, Gubernatorial Decree and obtained a permit
from the City Public Works Agency to make use the area," he said.

However, Sutiyoso insisted the prosecutors to continue with
the investigation.

"The violators did not show any remorse at all... If we let
them walk free, they will repeat their wrongdoings..It will also
become a bad precedence in the future for other companies," he
said on Wednesday at City Hall.

Dozens of protesters staged rallies in front of the
prosecutor's office on Jl. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta, before
moving to the City Hall.

"We are getting impatient with the investigation which
progress is moving at a snail's pace... We demand the office to
drag the criminals to the court," said one of the protesters,
Ahmad Farid.

Jakarta Police had earlier complained on the returning of the
500-page case files on suspects in a mangrove felling case
without any explanation.

The police have named Francis Moniaga of advertising agency PT
Rainbow Cipta Utama, Agus Suseno of advertising agency PT Grand
Skylindo and Purwadi of Jasa Marga as suspects.

The police alleged them responsible for the felling of the
mangrove trees which are part of Muara Angke protected forest in
order to make several billboards built at the scene visible to
motorists passing the toll road.

If prosecuted, the suspects may be charged with violating Law
No. 23/1997 on the environment and Law No. 5/1990 on conserving
natural resources and the ecosystem, as well as Law No. 41/1999
on forestry. The laws carry a minimum prison term of five years
for violators.