RI defends its call for KL timber ban
RI defends its call for KL timber ban
Agencies, Kuala Lumpur
Indonesia appealed on Thursday for Malaysia's help in combating
the trade in illegal timber from its forests and defended its
call for a ban on Malaysian lumber in Europe.
Speaking on the sidelines of a major UN conference on
biodiversity here, Indonesia's Environment Minister Nabiel
Makarim said the boycott call was "a last resort".
Fighting back against Malaysia's claims that Indonesia was not
doing enough to curb illegal logging, he said Jakarta was making
its best effort despite limited resources and administrative
weaknesses.
Nabiel on Thursday also called for talks with his Malaysian
counterpart in solving Indonesia's problem of illegal logging of
endangered timber, and urged both parties to stop "finger-
pointing".
"Illegal logging is still going on, at a larger scale than
ever before," said Nabiel.
"Our efforts become difficult because as long as the demand is
there, it is difficult to curb the supply side," he told
reporters at the sidelines of a United Nations-backed Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD).
"If Malaysia becomes a transit for the logs, Malaysia should
stop it," he told reporters.
"We ask our neighbors to help us because it's in the interest
of Malaysia, too."
"It's our forests. Do you think we are sleeping? We do what we
can do but it's not enough. The fight has become harder because
the demand side is not responding," he said.
"That's why we would like to have Malaysia on our side, it
will make our fight easier."
Nabiel said Indonesia's call for a ban on Malaysian timber was
the only fair and effective way to curb the illegal lumber trade
if talks failed, noting that there were also calls for a ban on
Indonesian timber.
"We are in the same basket ... that's why we have to start
discussions," he said.
"Let's stop finger-pointing at each other. We will benefit
from working together."
An informal bilateral meeting will be held on March 15 in
Jakarta to seek a solution to illegal logging and the trade of
illegal timber, following up on a first meeting last month.
Nabiel said illegal logging was ravaging Indonesia's forests
at an alarming rate and triggering floods and mudslides.
European Union environment commissioner Margot Wallstrom said
the dispute between the two neighbors was "regrettable" and she
was working with both parties to draw up a credible certification
scheme to resolve the problem.
She rejected the call for a total ban on Malaysian timber but
said the EU was considering plans to make it compulsory to obtain
import permits to bring the endangered hardwood ramin into
Europe.
"You cannot simply ban everything because there will be
serious social and economic impacts but we are considering the
listing of ramin in our regulations which would mean a need for
import permits," she said.
Wallstrom urged Malaysia to link its timber certification
scheme to other global verification schemes so that documents
could not be easily falsified.
Last week, Malaysia slammed Jakarta for trying to undermine
its wood exports and accused U.S. activists of tarnishing its
image in a report alleging large-scale smuggling of illegal
Indonesian timber.
The study, Profiting from Plunder, was compiled by the
independent Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and its
Indonesian partner Telapak, which said it was based on two years
of investigation.
The EIA said it showed how ramin wood was smuggled from
Indonesia into Malaysia and then re-exported with false
documentation.
It alleged that local officials were facilitating the illegal
trade and urged the United States to impose trade sanctions on
Malaysia.