Illegal logging escalating: Police

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta

Illegal logging cases investigated by police in the first quarter of 2004 almost doubled compared to the same period of 2003, police said on Thursday.

National Police director of special crimes Brig. Gen. Suharto said his officers investigated 246 cases involving 169 suspects in the first quarter of the year, up from 125 cases involving 80 suspects in the same period of 2003.

According to Suharto, most of the illegal logs were smuggled out of the country, particularly to Malaysia.

"The cases are occurring more frequently this year. We have launched several operations and managed to capture many smugglers. We have also confiscated 100,000 cubic meters of logs, worth Rp 75 million, since January 2004," said Suharto.

He said the police had confiscated 36,500 cubic meters of logs worth around Rp 32 million in the first three months of 2003.

Aside from the logs, they had confiscated heavy equipment worth millions of rupiah, as well as trucks and boats.

Police data shows that East Kalimantan had the highest number of illegal logging cases at 27 cases involving 29 suspects, followed by Central Kalimantan, with 15 cases and 12 suspects. Other provinces, such as South Kalimantan, West Nusa Tenggara and North Sumatra also had a high number of cases.

Suharto said the increase in illegal logging cases showed that police efforts were not enough without support from local agencies, such as customs and excise, forestry, the military and local administrations.

"We apprehend many suspects everyday. But, if the cases keep coming we won't have enough personnel to handle them. I think other agencies should prevent illegal logging from happening in the first place," he said.

Suharto said that on many occasions his officers had seized logs worth billions of rupiah, and handed them over to local agencies so that they could be sold to recover state losses. However, the agencies had not sold the logs.

"The logs could disappear and nobody would take responsibility. Our hard effort would be a waste of time. We wish that others would follow our example," he said.

Suharto acknowledged the increase in illegal logging was also due to the fact that some police officers were helping the perpetrators.

"We know that several police officers are involved in illegal logging activities, we have taken harsh action against them. We are committed to punishing any police personnel involved in illegal logging -- now, or in the future," he said.

Illegal logging has become a primary concern for both the government and many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) recently. It is claimed that state losses from the illegal activity have reached Rp 30 trillion per year.

The NGOs have said illegal logging causes the deforestation of millions of hectares of land each year.

However, analysts underline that the problem is becoming more complex as the industry, government officials, and others benefit from the practice.