Soldiers arrested for teak wood theft

SURABAYA: Two members of the Armed Forces have been arrested on charges of involvement in teak wood theft in the forests of Madiun, about 170 kilometers west of here, last week.

"We have handed the suspects to the military police for further investigation," Madiun police chief Col. Posma Lumban Tobing was quoted by Antara as saying.

He said that in their Wanalaga Operation, the authorities have seized several hundred cubic meters of stolen teak logs over the past two months. The operation will last for another month.

Tobing said theft is often difficult to control due to the lack of rangers. For every ranger in Madiun there is between 500 hectares and 700 hectares of forests to safeguard. (pan)