Tuesday 4 May 2010

Illegal Logging Continues

Illegal Logging Continues

Source: Tempo Interactive – April 29, 2010

By PINGIT ARIA MUTIARA

The Director General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation, Darori, has said that there are cases of illegal logging that are not well handled. For example in Central Kalimantan, about 960,000 hectares of forest are being illegally logged. In North Sumatra there are 16 companies operating illegally and in East Kalimantan 150 companies.

According to Darori, even for processed cases, the punishment is too light. “From 92 cases handled by the Supreme Court, 36 are freed, 24 are punished with prison sentences of less than 1 year and 19 cases for 1-2 year, and the rest are still in process,” said Darori in Jakarta yesterday. This year large scale illegal logging is still taking place in Papua, and small cases in Kalimantan and Sumatra.