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.