Police urged to solve environmental crimes

JAKARTA (JP): The chief of the National Police's forensics laboratory, Brig. Gen. Suwahyu, said here on Thursday that a major obstacle to solving environmental crimes was the police's lack of earnestness in dealing with such cases.

"The achievements of police detectives in this field are zero," Suwahyu said, noting that detectives rarely followed up environmental cases which passed through his office.

"Of the 73 environmental cases we have investigated (in the last five years), only five of them went to court," Suwahyu said during a seminar titled Environmental Management in the New Era of Indonesia.

Environmental issues have become an increasing concern in the country over the past few years as Indonesia's environment continues to be degraded at an alarming rate.

One of the most notable and damaging recent environmental disasters was the massive forest fires which hit many parts of the country.

Suwahyu lamented what he described as a lack of seriousness by police in investigating such cases, pointing to an ignorance of the significance of environmental issues.

"The lack of knowledge of environmental issues adds to their lack of seriousness," he remarked.

The National Police's forensics division was established in 1954, and currently boasts seven laboratories across the country.

Suwahyu, who was appointed head of the forensics division in August, also called for Law No. 23/1997 on environmental management to be revised.

"The law should take sterner measures against suspects," he said.

Suwahyu said the current law was biased toward industrial contamination, identifying environmental degradation in terms of contamination from toxic and other dangerous materials.

He said the law failed to address other problems such as forest fires, illegal mining and water pollution.

The director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment, Emmy Hafild, also stressed the need to update the law to address all threats to the environment.

She said that under the current law, there were numerous loopholes which allowed the mining and forestry sectors to avoid prosecution for damaging the environment.

"In 1989, we tried to file a suit against PT Barito Pacific for burning forests in South Kalimantan, but the court ruled (the burning) was inconsequential," she said during the seminar.

Environmental law professor and former rector of Gadjah Mada University Koesnadi Hardjasumantri, however, contended the law was sufficient; it was the enforcement which was lacking.

"The man behind the gun ... the man who implements the law is important," he said while urging police to be more active in investigating environmental cases.

Emmy also sounded a note of caution toward the government's plan to implement a regional autonomy law in 2001.

"Regional officials are not qualified nor are they well informed to make decisions on environmental issues," she said.

"The implementation of the autonomy law will damage the environment even more," she warned, noting that local officials would likely prioritize the economic benefits to be gained by exploiting natural resources. (04)