18 Cubic Meters Of Meranti Wood From The Biosphere Reserve In Riau Confiscated By The Ministry Of Environment And Forestry

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JAKARTA - The team from the Law Enforcement Center of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) for the Sumatra Region and the Military Resort Command 031/Wirabimau confiscated 18 cubic meters of illegal meranti and mixed wood which was suspected to have come from the Giam Siak Kecil Biosphere Reserve, Bengkalis Regency, Riau Province.

Sustyo Iriyono, Director of Forest Prevention and Security at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said that his party also detained three truck drivers, namely HD, S and HS, as well as two JH and OS assistants who have now been taken to the Section II Office of the KLHK's Balai Gakkum Sumatra Region, Pekanbaru.

"They are transporting illegal logs without legal documents," said Sustyo, Tuesday, October 26.

He explained that the arrest took advantage of complaints from the public regarding illegal logging in the Giam Siak Kecil Biosphere Reserve in Siak Kecil District, Bengkalis Regency. The Balai Gakkum team of the KLHK Sumatra Region together with Korem 031/Wirabima subsequently secured a truck carrying illegal timber without a legal document on Sunday (24/10).

After going through development, then on Monday (25/10), the team again detained two trucks and also transported illegal timber. The team suspected that the illegal timber also came from the Giam Siak Kecil Biosphere Reserve.

"We have identified illegal activities within the Giam Siak Kecil Biosphere Reserve area. We will continue to eradicate illegal activities in the conservation area and will ensnare loggers, carriers and investors or intellectual actors," he said as quoted by Antara.

Meanwhile, the Head of the KLHK Law Enforcement Center for the Sumatra Region, Subhan, promised that his investigators would continue to examine the drivers and assistants to uncover the involvement of other parties, especially the illegal timber distribution network.

Investigators from the Directorate General of Law and Human Rights of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry will ensnare the perpetrators of illegal timber trafficking under Article 83 Paragraph 1 Letter b, Jo. Article 12 Letter e and/or Article 88 Paragraph 1 Letter a, Jo. Article 16 of Law No. 18 of 2018 concerning Prevention and Eradication of Forest Destruction. If proven, the perpetrators are threatened with a maximum imprisonment of 5 years and a maximum fine of IDR 2.5 billion.

His party also often asks the community not to cut down trees carelessly to take their wood because it violates the law and damages the environment in it.