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.