Navy Foils Timber Smuggling to Malaysia

Navy Foils Timber Smuggling to Malaysia

The Jakarta Post - November 29, 200By Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya

The Navy's Eastern Fleet announced Wednesday it had successfully foiled anattempt to smuggle timber from Kalimantan to Malaysia.

"The fast patrol boat from the Navy base in Tarakan, East Kalimantan,conducted a night operation on November 25. During the operation it managedto intercept a ship with suspicious cargo in the waters near Batu Putih,Berau regency, East Kalimantan," fleet spokesperson Lt. Col. Toni Syaifulsaid.

The Navy's officers boarded the ship and found 150 logs of blackAmara wood.

"The ship's skipper couldn't produce the proper documents for the timbertherefore we have placed (the crew) under detention and towed the ship tothe Navy base," Toni said. The ship was identified as the Uru Cina, amotorized wooden ship flying the Indonesian flag.

The skipper and his creware currently being interviewed at the Navy base.The Navy says the skipper has told them that the ship was on its way toTawoa, a port city in Eastern Malaysia."Timber smuggling is common on the border areas of Indonesia and Malaysia,"Tony said.

"To prevent similar attempts in the future, the Eastern Fleethas ordered two Navy bases, Tarakan and Nunukan, which lie in the borderareas, to increase the frequency of their patrols," he said.