'Govt drive against illegal logging empty rhetoric'

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government's determination to fight illegal logging in the country remains largely rhetorical, as seen from the various unsolved cases involving log theft.

The most recent log theft case is the arduous and time- consuming effort to solve a large-scale log smuggling link, which was uncovered in November last year and allegedly involved the participation of importers from other countries.

Hapsoro, coordinator of Telapak environment organization, said here on Friday that in a dramatic turn of events, it appeared that 25,000 cubic meters of illegal timber confiscated during the raid and temporarily stored in Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta would be auctioned by the police.

The auction was said to be planned for Friday apparently due to pressure by the owners of the three foreign ships in which the timber was carried, he said.

Minister of Forestry M. Prakosa and State Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim were scheduled to visit the Tanjung Priok port on Friday, reportedly to prevent the auction from taking place, but inexplicably failed to show up.

The capture of the three ships carrying the 25,000 cubic meters of illegal logs, is part of a series of seizures of illegal timber bound for overseas destinations over the last few months.

"The Indonesian Navy and National Police must be congratulated for their action in cooperation with the forestry ministry. For the first time, their action gives real teeth to the government's repeated commitment to combat illegal logging," Hapsoro told The Jakarta Post.

Telapak and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) received information that there was a concerted lobby to release the confiscated ships and illegal timber, he said.

Most recently there has been an attempt to have the case transferred from Jakarta to Pangkalan Bun in Central Kalimantan, where a local timber tycoon is reported to have been behind commercial illegal logging from world-famous Tanjung Puting National Park, he added.

Dave Currey of EIA said, "It is essential that the government stands firm against such pressure. The world is watching to see if the actions of the Navy and the police will be supported and the culprits brought to justice."

The timber and ships must be held as evidence in this case or the government's pledge to halt illegal logging will be seen as an empty promise, he said.