Illegal logging 'public secret' in E. Kalimantan

Illegal logging 'public secret' in E. Kalimantan

Rusman, The Jakarta Post, Samarinda

Junaedi, 32, waited for his illegally bought logs to be hauled
out of the Mahakam River in the upper reaches of Kutai
Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, where they had been immersed for
the past two months. After hours of waiting, the logs were
released and dragged up onto the banks of the river, where they
were cut up for transportation.

Illegal timber traders are not in a rush to move their logs
out of the river. "We received a tip that a government team was
monitoring the illegal timber routes. We would rather leave the
logs in the river until the situation is secure than risk being
caught and having our timber seized," Junaedi told The Jakarta
Post.

Since the government set up a task force -- consisting of
personnel from the police, prosecutor's office, customs and
excise department and forest rangers -- to fight illegal logging
in Indonesia, timber traders who illegally buy logs from
residents have been forced to play a game of cat and mouse with
officials.

The timber traders frequently receive information from one of
the officials on the whereabouts and activities of the team. This
lets the traders know when it is safe to haul their logs out of
the river for transportation out of the area.

The illegal timber trade, in which the logs are cut in the
interior of the province, has been going on so long and has
become such a part of the area that there is very little about
the trade that is secret. "There is no problem between the
illegal traders and officials," said Junaedi.

Since the establishment of the task force, the price of timber
has soared. One hundred cubic meters of timber that used to cost
Rp 40 million now sells for Rp 60 million, said Junaedi.

The price of Bengkurai and Ulin wood, in particular, has
risen, from Rp 700,000 per cubic meter to Rp 1.1 million per
cubic meter.

"The price of timber depends on the expenses of the traders,
such as the cost of bribing officials and transportation. But the
business is still the main employer for people here," said
Junaedi.

It is no secret that many of the officers manning police posts
along the illegal logging route in Tenggarong Seberang, Kutai
Kartanegara, accept bribes from trucks carrying illegal timber.

Truck drivers stop about 100 meters from the posts, hand over
a payoff and then go on their way. The transaction only takes a
minute.

"It depends on the type of truck. Nowadays, a small truck only
has to pay Rp 15,000 and a big one Rp 30,000 to Rp 50,000. We
used to give them Rp 5,000," said a truck driver.

Illegal logging has led to massive deforestation in East
Kalimantan. The police have stepped up their investigations into
illegal logging, uncovering 114 illegal logging cases in 2004 and
naming 142 people as suspects.

Police also seized as much as 105,000 cubic meters of timber
in the province.

The chairman of the East Kalimantan chapter of the Association
of Indonesian Forest Concessionaires agreed that illegal logging
was out of hand in the province.

He said one of the factors behind the illegal logging was the
province's reduced logging quota of 1.5 million cubic meters, far
below market demand of five million cubic meters.

"The condition became more critical with the closure of many
sawmills because of a lack of logs. The worst thing was all of
the workers who were dismissed as a result," he said.