China blamed for key role in illegal timber trade
Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Illegal logging in Indonesia's Papua province is rampant and much of the wood is smuggled to China to feed its voracious appetite for timber, environmentalists said yesterday.
The illegal enterprise is run by international syndicates that stretch across Asia, according to a report by the Washington-based Environmental Investigation Agency and Indonesia's Telapak environmental group.
The syndicates depend on corrupt police and military who often take huge bribes to allow heavily laden boats to sail from Indonesian waters, forge deals with local communities to cut the timber and guard logging sites, the report says.
"The communities of Papua are paid a pittance for trees taken from their land, while timber dealers in Jakarta, Singapore and Hong Kong are banking huge profits." said Yayat Afianto, of Telapak.
A cargo ship from Papua arrives weekly at Zhang Jia Gang near Shanghai, it says, adding that about 300,000 cubic metres of merbau logs are smuggled out of the region each month.
Wood from merbau trees, which is prized for its strength and durability, is used for flooring and outdoor furniture and can fetch more than US0 a cubic metre.
"Indonesia and China signed a formal agreement over two years ago to co-operate in tackling the trade in illegal timber," Julian Newman, of the Environmental Investigation Agency, said.
"So far these words have not been matched by action. The smuggling of merbau logs between Indonesia and China violates the laws of both countries so there is a clear basis for action."
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12/12/2023 17:24
