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.