Smuggling attempt of rare species foiled

JAKARTA (JP): The Tanjung Priok port authority foiled yesterday an attempt to smuggle of two containers of endangered fern species.

The 1,600 fern stalks, scientifically known as cyathea spinulosa, were about to be shipped to Inchon, South Korea, the head of the Jakarta forestry ministry office, Purwadi Mangunwardoyo, said.

The port authority confiscated the ferns.

The ferns originated from Cicurug, Sukabumi, West Java.

They were found in between and behind crates of decorative plants called lily palms, locally known as hanjuang (cordylino fruticosa).

The ferns are listed under the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species. The conventions stipulates certain species of plants and animals may be traded only with special permits, Purwadi said.

Permits for items listed under the convention are issued only by the Ministry's Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation.

Purwadi said he could not mention the plants' value. He said the plants were to be exported either for decorative or healing purposes.

"Whatever the value is, what's important is the loss of our natural sources," he said.

The legal plant stated in the ship's documents, lily palms, are used here for decorative purposes and for healing dysentery.

Purwadi said he was tipped off two days.

Another source at the Ministry said the informant was an exporter who had a dispute with another exporter allegedly involved in smuggling.

"We rarely get tips otherwise," the Ministry source said.

The documents of the Korean ship, Seven Seas Aurora, said its carriage weighing 22 tons consisted of 5,000 lily palm stalks, worth US$ 7,056.

However, officials from a forest security team said this was not be possible because they found barely two crates of lily palms in one of the containers.

Purwadi's source said the exporter was PT Naga Sobatrans of Central Jakarta, and the Korean importer was Dongrim Ltd.

Purwadi said he could not estimate how many of the endangered ferns were left.

The team for forest security include officers of the military police, police, and officials from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Forestry and Ministry of Transportation. (anr)