VZCZCXRO2964
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1961/01 2980525
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 240525Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0400
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2639
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5525
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 3195
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 5042
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001961 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR OES/ENRC, EAP/MTS, EAP/RSP 
USTR FOR DBROOKS 
USAID FOR ANE, EGAT 
BANGKOK FOR RDM/A 
NSC FOR CEQ CONNAUGHTON, VAN DYKE 
USFS FOR CMACKIE 
TREASURY FOR KBERG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV EAID KGHG ECON PGOV ID
SUBJECT: UPDATE - INDONESIA'S ILLEGAL LOGGING CHALLENGE 
 
REF: A. JAKARTA 935 
     ¶B. JAKARTA 778 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  Despite a number of recent seizures of illegal 
timber by Indonesian authorities, the challenge in containing 
Indonesia's illegal logging remains intense.  The new Indonesian 
National Police Chief is expected to bring a renewed focus to his 
predecessor's campaign against environmental crimes including 
illegal logging.  End Summary. 
 
Recent Enforcement Actions 
-------------------------- 
¶2. (U) Recent seizures and arrests show that illegal logging remains 
at significant levels.  This is despite successful actions against 
illegal logging, including a large joint operation with national 
forestry officials in April during which Indonesian National Police 
(INP) seized 19 vessels carrying 12,000 illegally harvested logs 
worth over $23 million (ref B) in Ketapang, West Kalimantan.  In 
fact, the head of the forest protection service in West Kalimantan, 
Sunaryo, has spoken of the glaring reemergence of illegal logging in 
Ketapang and Kayong Utara District a couple months following that 
major seizure. 
 
¶3. (U) Listed below are several cases of recent seizures in 
Indonesia. 
 
October: 
 
-- 14 October: An investigative police team in East Kalimantan 
seized 14,838 cubic meters of wood of questionable legality in West 
Kutai District.  Police seized the timber from three different 
companies, based on information from the local community, because 
the timber included ironwood, which requires special permits and 
cannot be exported from Kalimantan. 
 
-- 11 October: In Ketapang, West Kalimantan, a quick reaction forest 
police unit (SPORC) seized 2,707 pieces of processed wood being 
transported by motorboat.  The transporters were using valid 
documents issued to two companies for transportation and/or showing 
the origin of the timber. However, the head of the forest police 
unit said the documents had expired, indicating the smugglers had 
been using the papers repeatedly.  The seized ship and timber are in 
the custody of SPORC headquarters in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, and 
police are investigating the two companies listed on the documents. 
 
July: 
----- 
 
-- On August 1, the Marine police in West Kalimantan announced that 
they had seized 1065 pieces of processed timber from 2 businesses, 
as well as 3 ships/motorboats, during the months of June and July. 
The seized wood originated from Kayong Utara District, formerly part 
of Ketapang.  The chief of the marine police of the West Kalimantan 
police said the seized wood had no valid accompanying documents 
showing their origin. 
 
-- On July 31, based on a tip off from the local community, police 
in Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) intercepted a 1-ton sandalwood shipment 
to Surabaya that lacked official documents.  Shortly before that, on 
July 25, a Customs patrol in Palu seized an illegal shipment of 179 
pieces of black wood from Donggala, Central Sulawesi Province. 
According to press reports, the police and/or Customs foil similar 
smuggling attempts almost on a monthly basis. 
 
Encroachment Still Widespread 
----------------------------- 
¶4. (U) The continued clearing of forests, including encroachment 
into protected areas, remains a challenge (ref A).  According to 
Tandya Tjahjana, the head of Kutai National Park in East Kalimantan, 
encroachment and clearing in the park continues unabated, affecting 
146,080 hectares of the 198,629-hectare park.  He says the problem 
began in 2000, soon after a highway was built through the park to 
connect Bontang city to Sangatta, the capital of Kutai Timur 
District. 
 
¶5. (U) In Riau, meanwhile, an over flight of two districts by 
journalists from Kompas newspaper on September 21 revealed open 
logging activity and sawmill operations.  These were in areas of 
 
JAKARTA 00001961  002 OF 002 
 
 
natural forest where authorities say there are no permits issued for 
logging.  This reflects the authorities' lack of capacity to monitor 
and enforce laws, and the lack of political will to hold back 
unregulated economic development. 
 
New Police Chief Focused on Environmental Crimes 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
¶6. (U) Indonesia's new National Police Chief, Bambang Hendarso 
Danuri, is expected to maintain his predecessor General Sutanto's 
focus on economic crimes with an environmental impact.  During his 
confirmation hearing before the Indonesian parliament in late 
September, Danuri specifically committed to tackle illegal logging, 
mining, and fishing, including through the improved policing of 
Indonesian waters.  This focus is a continuation of his track record 
as Police Chief of the North Sumatra and South Kalimantan regional 
police offices, as well as head of the National Police's Criminal 
Investigative Division.  In those positions, Danuri was known for 
his efforts to combat illegal logging and illegal mining as well as 
money laundering, which is usually associated with these and other 
transnational crimes.  One of Danuri's most well known cases was the 
arrest of Adelin Lin, leader of a major illegal logging operation in 
North Sumatra with links to China.  Many had previously considered 
Lis untouchable. 
 
HUME