Timber theft rises in growing crisis

JAKARTA (JP): Timber theft and looting of forests owned by state firms in Java rose significantly last year as the country's economic crisis worsened, according to state forestry firm Perum Perhutani.

Perhutani president A. Fattah DS said in Bojonegoro, East Java, on Tuesday that the amount of timber stolen in Central Java alone was over 888,000 logs during 1998, compared to 124,000 logs in 1997.

In East Java, timber theft accounted for 192,000 logs in 1998, up from 68,000 logs in 1997.

"The estimated financial loss caused by timber theft and looting in Central Java during 1998 reached over Rp 18.7 billion while in East Java, the loss could exceed Rp 3.89 billion," he said during a visit to Perhutani forests.

In 1997, the loss from timber theft and looting was Rp 1.46 billion in Central Java and Rp 1.11 billion in East Java.

Fattah said that the loss was calculated by taking into account the volume of the logs which had been looted. The figure excluded any loss resulting from damage to the forests or the burning of sawmill facilities.

"Since the middle of 1998, there has been rampant looting in Perhutani's areas. The looters attacked the forests in groups of between 50 and 400 people. In past years, the groups were only between five and 10 people," Fattah said.

"Looters have taken hundreds of thousands of metric tons of logs and other items as well as destroying Perhutani's facilities such as vehicles, processing plants and even employees' houses. They even took Perhutani personnel hostage, hurt them and even killed them."

Perhutani's security personnel were usually outnumbered by the looters, he said.

The country is facing the worst economic crisis in its history. The number of people living in poverty has soared, and cases of theft and looting have become very common in certain parts of the country.

Fattah said the looters, mostly people from villages neighboring Perhutani areas, plundered the company's forests because they considered the firm to have contributed nothing to the improvement of local welfare.

"In fact we spend more than Rp 221 billion every year to improve the welfare of people live near Perhutani areas," he said.

Fattah said he thought the mass timber theft might be organized.

"Whoever is behind the looting has successfully provoked people from nearby villages to attack the forests," he said.

Fattah warned that if timber looting continues in Java, it will result in droughts and also cause flooding, as the forests, which function as a water catchment, are being depleted.

"Forest areas in Java currently account for only 22 percent of the island's total area. The ideal coverage would be 30 percent of the land," he said.

To stop the looting, Fattah urged companies in the timber industry not to buy illegally felled trees from timber brokers. (gis)