TNI confesses involvement in rampant illegal logging
TNI confesses involvement in rampant illegal logging
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto
admitted on Wednesday the involvement of military personnel in
rampant illegal logging across the archipelago, and vowed to take
resolute action against them.
He said the military would forge cooperation with the forestry
ministry and local administrations to arrest military personnel
involved in the illegal logging.
"They must be severely punished. Their illicit activities have
not only inflicted financial losses on the state, but they are
also destroying the sustainability of out forests," he told a
press conference after a coordinating meeting with Minister of
Forestry M. Prakosa.
Therefore, he said, the Military Police would be included in
operations designed to help local authorities stamp out such
abuses.
He said that a timetable for these operations would be
discussed later this week.
In addition, Endriartono instructed to Navy to sink any
vessels carrying smuggled logs after the logs had been
confiscated by the authorities.
"Such strict measures are needed to avoid any further
deterioration in the environment and to show that military
personnel are not above the law," he said.
The joint operations mooted by Endriartono could well prove to
be a last ditch effort by the government to assure foreign donors
grouped under the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI), which
are scheduled to meet next week, that Indonesia is really serious
in tackling illegal logging.
Similar joint operations would also be organized by the
forestry ministry and the police and Navy.
Illegal logging in Indonesia has reached alarming proportions,
and has caused huge environmental destruction in the country's
forests, including national parks.
Some 43 million hectares out of 120.35 million hectares of
forest have been devastated by the illicit activities, with a
degradation rate of 2.1 million hectares per year.
The illegal activities produce 50.7 million cubic meters of
logs annually, and result in state financial losses of at least
Rp 30.42 trillion (US$3.37 billion). A large number of tree
species are also vanishing fast.
The illegal logs, mainly from Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau,
Jambi, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan,
Central Sulawesi and Papua, are traded on both the domestic and
international markets.
A majority of Indonesia's timber production comes from illegal
logging, with the logs being exported to Malaysia, China, Vietnam
and India at rate of 10 million cubic meters per year, resulting in
Rp 7.2 trillion in losses to the country.
Meanwhile, Minister M. Prakosa promised that any vessels
trying to smuggle logs would be brought to Jakarta and would not
be released until final court verdicts had been issued.
He also said that the government was planning to issue a
decree to allow law enforcers to act firmly against illegal
loggers.