Environmental tragedy

Environmental tragedy

A friend and I recently completed a trek in the Gunung Leuser
National Park in Sumatra. During our stay we were greatly
disturbed by the flagrant disregard for the park's boundaries
shown by a few unscrupulous residents. Significant areas of the
forest have been chopped down, with the wood being either burnt
or left to rot. The cause of this apparent insanity is for the
growing of tomato and chili plants.

Whilst I appreciate that Indonesia's ever increasing
population must have more land, if this unique environment is
lost it will be an environmental tragedy for them as well as the
whole world. The irony is that whilst the park officials sit
behind their desks taking money from tourists, no one is out in
the field protecting the very thing we're paying to see. I see
the press, i.e. The Jakarta Post, as the only mechanism for
embarrassing those responsible into action.

Given the current controversy over the Indonesian Timber
companies marketing campaign in the West, this will prove to be
valuable fuel to those who advocate black listing Indonesian
produce and discouraging tourism to the archipelago. If the sound
of the chain saw is to replace that of the forest in Gunung
Leuser then this government charade should be exposed for what it
is -- a betrayal of the Indonesian people, the international
community and most importantly, our children.

R.S. WEINSTEIN

Manchester, UK