Police detain 24 ships carrying illegal timber

Damar Harsanto and Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): Police seized 24 vessels loaded with illegal timber worth Rp 20 billion (US$2 million) at Sunda Kelapa port in North Jakarta, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

Police Precinct chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Sigit said the ships had allegedly transported timber from illegal loggers in Kalimantan to Jakarta. Their load was confiscated as police found them without documents and in breach of the load permit.

"The ships docked at the port for 17 days. Police failed to monitor them when they entered the port because the police were busy safeguarding the Idul Fitri and Christmas festivities," Sigit said.

The ships, along with their cargo remain docked at Sunda Kelapa port pending police questioning of the ships' owners, scheduled for between Jan. 2 and Jan. 4, 2002.

Each ship carries about 500 cubic meters of timber, worth approximately Rp 20 billion in total.

According to the chief of the forest protection department, Sumarto, illegal loggers often go untouched by the law as there is not sufficient coordination between law enforcers to successfully penalize them.

The ambiguity of the forestry laws as well as the lack of will among the aligned institutions in punishing illegal loggers has resulted in the widespread destruction of Indonesian forests.

According to data from the Department of Forestry, from 120,35 million hectares of Indonesian forest, 1.6 million hectares are destroyed each year.

Cases are often discovered, though, many of the perpetrators go without adequate punishment.

The National Police, the prosecutors office, and the Ministry of the Environment are among the institutions who work along with the Department of Forestry to investigate and prosecute illegal loggers.

In dealing with these investigations, Sumarto said, there are too many loopholes, which enable perpetrators to evade punishment.

"Like the five boats captured in Kalimantan carrying about 20,000 cubic meters of timber in November.. even though we submitted our full report containing the suspects and evidence, the owner of the boats went unpunished by the court," he told The Jakarta Post.

Sumarto added that sometimes the loggers or the ship owners were released by the police, and sometimes by the court, while according to Forestry Law No. 41 Article 50 and 78, there is a maximum fine of Rp 10 billion and five years imprisonment for those caught in possession of, or transporting, illegal timber.

"I've seen cases where the perpetrators walked away with a Rp 35 million fine, and that is if they are punished at all,"

"Therefore, in order to crack down effectively on illegal logging, law-enforcing institutions must remain coordinated and stay true to their commitment to preserve the country's forests," he said.