Mastermind of illegal logging wanted

Mastermind of illegal logging wanted

BENGKULU: After filing dossiers at the Provincial Prosecutor's
Office on several suspects held responsible for the environmental
deterioration at Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Bengkulu
police said it would search for the masterminds behind the
illegal logging of the protected forest.

"We will examine a former official of the South Bengkulu
administration," said chief of the Bengkulu police detective unit
Adj. Sr. Comr. M Budi Tono on Thursday.

"We don't care about whether the culprit is an official or
not, we will take legal actions against them if they continue to
destroy the national park," he added.

Under the Wanalaga operation in August, Bengkulu police
succeeded in confiscating thousands of cubic meters of illegal
wood supplies believed to have been poached from Bukit Barisan
Selatan National Park.

Bengkulu police have already arrested a number of people, of
which five have been declared suspects, while three others remain
in police custody. --Antara