N. Sumatra Police seize illegal logs bound for Aceh

The Jakarta Post:

N. Sumatra Police seize illegal logs bound for Aceh

National News - January 21, 2006

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

North Sumatra Police seized 240 cubic meters of illegally cut timber

from Riau bound for Aceh where it was to be used in reconstruction

work.

Prie Supriadi, head of the North Sumatra Forestry Office, said the

logs were seized Friday in Pancur Batu district, Deli Serdang

regency. He said police also detained eight truck drivers for

questioning.

Officials say the amount of timber being transported overland from

North Sumatra to Aceh had increased noticeably in recent weeks, with

some of the timber bound for foreign NGOs involved in reconstruction

in Aceh.

Several foreign NGOs have been forced to import wood from overseas

because they are unable to get enough timber from sustainable forests

in Indonesia.

Prie said Friday's seizure was not the first such incident. "As of

mid-January up to 13 trucks have been seized because they did not

have the necessary documents for the logs," Prie told The Jakarta

Post.

He said most of the improperly documented timber was transported at

night, prompting authorities to increase their vigilance during these

hours. The seizure on Friday, for example, occurred at 4 a.m.

Prie said an officer from the Pancur Batu Police post stopped the

trucks to check their documents. When the documents proved to be

fake, the drivers were taken into custody.

"This kind of falsification of documents is frequently seen in the

field. It is one of the techniques for trying to fool officers," Prie

said.

The official said cooperation between his office and the Riau

Forestry Office in cross-checking the origin of timber bound for Aceh

was pivotal in stopping the transportation of illegally-cut logs.

"We still have not identified the origin of the logs seized on

Friday, including the owner and from where the logs were cut. We are

investigating," he said.

Asked if illegally cut logs from North Sumatra were also making their

way into Aceh, Prie said he was unaware of any such cases.

He only said his office had issued a log production quota for North

Sumatra of 100,000 cubic meters in 2006.

"If forest concession holders are found to be harvesting logs in

excess of the quota, their excess production will be considered

illegal and we will arrest them."