Military slammed for releasing poachers

Military slammed for releasing poachers

Oyos Saroso, The Jakarta Post, Bandar Lampung

A coalition of environmental organizations filed a report with
the Lampung Provincial Police to protest the release of nine Navy
troops suspected of involvement in illegal animal hunting at the
protected Way Kambas National Park.

The non-governmental coalition includes the Indonesian Forum
for Environment (Walhi), Wanacala, Mitra Bentala, Watala, Cagar
Alam, LK2I and LSPM.

They demanded that the nine suspects be detained for intensive
questioning and investigation, saying that should they be found
guilty, they should be dismissed.

"... And what has been the practice so far ... Some members of
the police Mobile Brigade had been arrested for crimes, but were
later released and their cases closed," said Mukri Friatna, head
of Walhi's advocacy division in Lampung.

The nine troops were arrested on Sunday along with five
civilian suspects by police and forest guards at Susukan village
in Sukadana, East Lampung.

The soldiers were handed over to the province's Military
Police for investigation, while the five civilians were grilled
at the East Lampung District Police Office. All 14 suspects were
released on Monday.

Lampung Military Police commander Lt. Col. Firman Achmadi said
the release of the nine troops was approved because a deer seized
from them as evidence was dead but not due to shot wounds.

"I am sure they will not flee," he said.

He claimed his office had questioned the nine suspects and
vowed to further investigate them. "Despite being freed from
detention, the investigation into their case will not be halted."

Firman, however, said he had not determined whether the
soldiers were involved in the illegal animal hunting.

Walhi Executive Director in Lampung, Mashuri Abdullah, said he
doubted the troops would be brought to trial since the
investigation was unclear.

He said the suspects could be charged with violating Law No.
5/1999, which carries a 10-year prison term and a fine of up to
Rp 500 million.

"But this requires commitment from TNI (the Indonesian
Military) in the province."

Dirman, an activist from LK2I, asserted his group had long
suspected that some military and police officers were involved in
such crimes.

"But we cannot do anything because everything is well
organized. The arrest of the nine Navy soldiers should be used as
a momentum for law enforcement," he said.

Three out of the accused soldiers were identified as residents
of Jakarta, while the remaining six and the five civilian
suspects were from Kotabumi in North Lampung.

Mashuri said such illegal animal hunts have been going on for
a long time unheeded at the protected Way Kambas National Park.
Hunters usually carry firearms and drive cars or speed boats, he
added.

"Not only do they damage the forest, but also destroy at least
15 local mammal species and 20 bird species."

Officers of the locally based Rhino Protection Unit (RPU) have
frequently been involved in clashes with illegal hunters. Most of
their prey are deer, tigers, elephants and small antelopes.

Data from the RPU shows that at least 10 deer are shot dead by
hunters each week and since 1997 at least five tigers have been
killed by hunters at Way Kambas.