Riau police confiscate 200 tons of illegal logs

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 04/01/2009 10:32 AM  |  National

Jungle operation: Sr. Comr. Zainal Paliwang, head of Riau Water Police Directorate (left) leads a raid on illegal loggers in the Tohor River canals in Tebing Tinggi, Meranti district in Riau, on Tuesday. Antara/FB Anggoro
Riau Water Police have confiscated 200 tons of illegal logs, allegedly cut down from areas in Meranti and Bengkalis regencies, during a two-day raid operation.

Sr. Comr. Zainal Paliwang, head of Riau Water Police Directorate, told Antara state news agency that they have named and arrested two people as suspects.

“We received a tip-off from a local resident and began an investigation that lasted three weeks. The logs were found at four different locations,” he said.

On Monday, the police confiscated eight tons of logs from a location on the banks of the Tanjung Sari River in Tanjung Samak district in Bengkalis. They also arrested two men, Yamin, 39, and Edo Tampubolon, 68, who were on a tug boat used to deliver logs to Tanjung Balai Karimun in Riau Islands.

The rest of the logs were confiscated from three locations on the banks of the Tohor River in Tebing Tinggi district in Meranti.

Zainal said the police were to continue their investigation to catch illegal loggers in the area. (dre) 

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