Indonesia presses Malaysia to act on illegal logs

Indonesia presses Malaysia to act on illegal logs

P.C. Naommy and Achmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government is pressuring Malaysia to take firm and concrete
action against the traders of illegal logs allegedly smuggled
from Indonesia.

Director General for Forest Protection and Nature Conservation
(PHKA) Koes Saparjadi said Monday that Indonesia would refuse any
further informal discussions unless Malaysia showed it was
serious about stopping the smuggling of logs from Indonesia.

"Some Malaysian citizens and companies are involved in these
illegal practices by providing capital or legalizing illegal logs
from Indonesia," said Koes, adding that taxes are even collected
on illegal logs entering through Malaysia ports.

He said Indonesia and Malaysia held an informal meeting early
this year on the issue and had been exchanging data on the
situation in the field.

"Malaysia has asked for another follow-up meeting some time
this month, but the Ministry of Forestry is still evaluating the
outcome of the last meeting and has yet to give a response to the
request," he said.

During an informal meeting earlier this year, Malaysia
stressed that smuggling and illegal trading in logs were
Indonesia's domestic problems.

According to the Ministry of Forestry, illegal logging cost
the country some Rp 355.8 billion in 2002 and 2003. Most logs are
smuggled to neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore,
which Indonesia accuses of laundering illegal logs from the
archipelago.

Local non-governmental organization (NGO) Telapak and the
London-based Environment Investigation Agency (EIA) have alleged
that 4,500 cubic meters of ramin wood -- an endangered species --
are smuggled from Jambi to Johor Baru, Malaysia, every month.

Malaysia, however, rejected accusations that it has turned a
blind eye to large-scale smuggling of illegal logs and timber
from Indonesia, which earlier this year prompted the Indonesian
government to call for a worldwide boycott of wood products from
the neighboring country.

"The allegation of complicity by the government of Malaysia in
the laundering of Indonesian logs and timber is totally
unfounded," said Rahimi Harun, the economics and information
officer at the Embassy of Malaysia in Jakarta.

In a statement made available to The Jakarta Post, Rahimi
argued that Malaysian enforcement authorities had stepped up
efforts to ensure that no Indonesian logs entered the neighboring
country after Indonesia banned exports of round logs and squared
logs in 2002 and 2003 respectively.

He claimed that his government had seized boatloads of illegal
logs, some of which were contained ramin, from Indonesia entering
Malaysia with false documents.

While Indonesia points its finger at Malaysia, Greenpeace
called on the government on Monday to take firm action against
illegal logging in the country.

"Jakarta should do more to prevent illegal logging and log
smuggling," Greenpeace consultant Faith Doherty said in a press
conference.

Doherty revealed that Greenpeace with its Rainbow Warrior ship
found ample evidence of illegal logging during a four-week
investigation in Central Kalimantan.

She claimed that during the investigation, which started in
January, Greenpeace found at least 55 ships, tugs and barges
involved in the smuggling of timber.

"Although, there are no active forest concessions in Central
Kalimantan, vast quantities of timber are being harvested," she
said.