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Alleged illegal logger nabbed in Riau conservation forest
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A team from the Environment and Forestry Ministry seize logs that allegedly have come from illegal logging activities within the Giam Siak Kecil-Bukit Batu biosphere reserve in Bengkalis Regency, Riau province, on Feb. 24. (Photo courtesy of/The Environment and Forestry Ministry)
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he Environment and Forestry Ministry and Riau Police conducted a raid on the Giam Siak Kecil-Bukit Batu biosphere reserve in Bengkalis Regency, Riau province, last week following report of rampant illegal logging in the conservation forest.
Authorities arrested one man named Mirin who was trying to escape with possible accomplices when the joint team chased after him, Riau Police Chief Insp. Gen. Zulkarnain Adinegara said. Three other suspects remain at large.
When questioned, Mirin told investigators that he worked as a transport worker who was paid Rp 600,000 (US$45) to 700,000 per cubic meter of timber depending of the type of wood he transported.
"He [Mirin] said transporting logs outside the forest was possible because many people were involved, starting from village officers, security personnel of companies operating near the reserve. He said money would be exchanged to allow him to pass," Zulkarnain said on Tuesday
He suspected that an inside job was at work, allowing logs to be transported out even though the conservation area only had a single entrance gate, which should make such an illegal operation difficult.
He ordered his subordinates to track down the remaining perpetrators as well as the head of the operation within two weeks’ time.
The Giam Siak Kecil-Bukit Batu biosphere reserve is located in the Bengkalis and Siak regencies with a core area of 178,000 hectares, buffer zone of 220,000 ha and a 304,000 ha transition area. The ministry’s law enforcement director general, Rasio Ridho Sani, said according to aerial surveillance, at least four points of illegal logging had been detected in the forest's core and supporting areas. (rin)
