Pontianak higher court handled 127 illegal logging cases
The Pontianak Higher Court in 2009 was reported to have handled at least 127 illegal logging cases in West Kalimantan province, a spokesman said
ANTARA News | March 9, 2010
"On average, the Higher Court has actually meted out such heavier punishment to those engaged in illegal logging activity. The sentence may reach over 17 years jail term," Ida Bagus Nugrah Somya, the Higher Court`s Chief of Pontianak, told visiting legislators of the House`s Commission III, here on Monday.
Hopefully, such heavy punishment would prevent illegal logger from being engaged in committing such similar activity in the province. "We hope the perpetrators will not do it again with a heavier punishment in the future," he said.
The Higher Court, in 2009, has actually settled around 127 illegal logging cases, 16 cases for human trafficking, 17 cases for illegal trade, 11 cases for illegal mining and 29 cases for illegal fishing by foreign fishermen.
In the meeting with members of the House`s commission III and local legal enforcers at the police headquarter of West Kalimantan, Ida expressed his hope that the process of illegal fishing could be immediately settled in hope that such evidence like the confiscated vessels by the state could be operated.
In the meantime, West Kalimantan Police Chief Brig Gen Erwin TPL Tobing said large scale illegal logging practices could no longer be found in the province generally. But what was found was small scale ones who often tried to avoid the police and other security officials.
Tobing further stressed that his side still found difficulty in unraveling small scale illegal logging activities remote regions on account of huge area of the province he had to control in addition to a lack of police personnel.
In addition, the difficulty in finding illegal logging activity was also exacerbated by the lifelihood of local residents, most of whom depended much on wooden products, Tobing said. (*)
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