T

he West Kalimantan Forest Police have arrested two foreigners for allegedly damaging a conservation area in the province.

One suspect, identified as ZX or ZS, is from China, and the other, identified as KW or AH, is Malaysian.

They were arrested in two separate operations with ZX being apprehended on July 7 and AH on July 11.

The police said the arrests were made after reports from locals on illegal activities being carried out by ZX and AH'€™s company at the Mandor wildlife sanctuary, West Kalimantan.

'€œThey were arrested because their company built a road and workers'€™ huts in the conversation area. It clearly violates the law,'€ police representative David Muhammad said as quoted by tribunnews.com on Tuesday.

West Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Center head Sustyo Iriyono explained that the road construction was initially proposed by local residents but after consultations with the center, they agreed to drop the plan.

'€œHowever, the company ignored the suggestions and kept building the road and even built huts for workers,'€ Sustyo said.

For their alleged crime, the two foreigners, who are still being held for further investigations, are each facing a maximum prison term of ten years and a fine of Rp 200 million (US$14,982).