Vietnamese tried for log smuggling

JAKARTA: Ngo Van Toan, 45, of Vietnam, the captain of the MV Bravery Falcon, went on trial on Monday at the North Jakarta District Court on log smuggling charges.

Prosecutor Suharto charged the defendant under the 1999 Forestry Law for allegedly carrying or possessing undocumented timber.

The Mongolian-flagged Bravery Falcon was stopped on Dec. 9, 2003, in the waters of Papua, carrying 14,229 cubic meters of dark red timber, or meranti, to China. Some 10,422 cubic meters of the timber was undocumented.

The prosecutor also charged the defendant under Law No. 21/1999 on shipping, for not notifying authorities upon entering Indonesian waters.

Presiding judge Sarehwiyono adjourned the trial until Thursday, at which time the court will hear from witnesses. --JP