Who's destroying Pelabuhan Ratu?

Who's destroying Pelabuhan Ratu?

Although I have traveled widely, I consider Pelabuhan Ratu one
of the most beautiful places on earth. Rugged coastlines,
unspoiled beaches, natural wilderness, lush vegetation -- a truly
magical hideaway.

Even the drive there is very scenic with mountains, valleys
and beautiful trees along the way.

Now I am saddened to see that the beach at Karang Hawu is
being wantonly destroyed, while officials apparently turn a blind
eye.

Every day the beach is filled with laborers mining black sand.
Convoys of heavy trucks cause traffic hazards, pollution and road
damage. This has been occurring for several months, directly in
front of houses and motels. The laborers told me the sand would
be mined until no more sand was left.

A lovely unspoiled beach has become a tourist trap of another
kind -- with many holes covering an area of some several hundreds
of meters.

I understand that an official letter requesting the activity
to stop has been ignored.

This organized sand-mining also has disastrous ecological
effects. Natural vegetation along the shore is being burned to
get to the sand -- removing the sand may change the ocean
currents, causing erosion as well as threatening the livelihood
of local fishermen.

What is going on?

On entering Pelabuhan Ratu a toll is charged -- ostensibly to
help develop the area as a tourist destination. Are we entering
an area of industrial tourism? A "head in the sand attitude"?

To make matters worse, I have noticed recently that many
mahogany trees en route to Pelabuhan Ratu have been chopped down.
Most of them are now gone especially in the Warung Kiara area.
Who benefits from the felling of so many mahogany trees measuring
at least one meter in diameter?

We have seen this happen before, we witnessed with great
sadness the felling of hundreds of old mahogany trees on the
beautiful Cianjur road during the reign of the New Order. Now the
same thing is happening again.

This madness has got to stop.

A beautiful tourist beach is being destroyed. Roads are being
ruined. Pollution is increasing. Fifty-year-old protected trees
are being chopped down before our eyes without a second thought.
All because of commercial greed.

If this destruction is happening openly at a designated
tourist area, one can only surmise what is occurring in the
secluded rainforests of Kalimantan and elsewhere.

LILY KASOEM

Jakarta