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.