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