TNI touts its green credentials

JAYAPURA, Papua: Despite charges that members of the Indonesian military (TNI) are often involved in illegal logging, the TNI is committed to preserving the environment, a senior TNI officer said on Friday. "Every time government agencies organize regreening projects, we send at least two TNI soldiers to help implement them," said the chief of the Jayapura District Military Command, Lt. Col. Victor Tobing.

The TNI supported the regreening programs as the area of critical land in Papua province had reached alarming levels, said Victor. Some 3,000 hectares in the province were barren and of these 3,000 hectares, 425 hectares were located in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province. The regreening projects had only affected 50 out of the 425 hectares in Jayapura so far, so that more regreening programs would need to be carried out in the future. -- JP