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.