Police arrest illegal loggers, rescue $3.7m in state assets

P.C. Naommy, The Jakarta Post, Sukabumi, West Java

Police have arrested a total of 38 suspected illegal loggers, including 5 Malaysians, in West Kalimantan, and seized 20,548 cubic meters of processed logs during an operation conducted from Feb. 19 to March 10.

Chief of the Wanalaga I Operation Brig. Gen. Indarto said on Saturday that police also confiscated 22,886 raw logs, several boats and guns from the loggers.

The operation, which is the first phase of the Wanalaga Operation for this year, included raids on several locations, mostly in Mount Palung National Park in West Kalimantan and on the border with Malaysia.

"There are many water catchment areas around the national park and they're heavily used by local citizens. We've focused the operation there to prevent floods or landslides which can happen due to the land's limited capacity in absorbing water," said Indarto.

Based on calculations by the Ministry of Forestry, he said, the seized logs were worth Rp 32 billion (US$3.76 million).

The team -- comprising the National Police, the West Kalimantan Police and forest rangers -- was located on three main areas in the 92,000-hectare national park.

"The cases would be submitted to the West Kalimantan Police, but the National Police will supervise their progress to make sure they go into court," said Indarto.

He explained that there were 10 other Malaysians who are still at large, but "the police already have their identities."

Indarto said that the loggers were being detained in the West Kalimantan Police headquarters. However, the arrested Malaysians are being detained for immigration violations.

"But it doesn't rule out the possibility that they're also involved in illegal logging. We also suspect that the logs were to be smuggled into Malaysia," he quickly added.

Indonesia and Malaysia have been shifting blame for the logs allegedly smuggled into Malaysia. Indonesia has been pressing Malaysia to take firm action against the traders of illegal logs there.

Concerning rife accusations that police officers were taking part in illegal logging, Indarto said that the police had not found any evidence of such involvement.

Illegal logging has been completely out of control in the country, accounting for deforestation of 3.8 million hectares per year, roughly the size of Switzerland.

Illegal logging, which has been largely blamed for natural disasters, cost the country some Rp 355.8 billion in 2002 and 2003. It also contributes to the rapid deforestation rate.

The government is currently preparing a regulation in lieu of law to combat the crime. The regulation is said to provide harsher punishment of up to death sentence for those found guilty of involvement in illegal logging and log trading.

A source at the Ministry of Forestry said the regulation would be issued this week.