"We have already identified potential legal entities involved," Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni spoke to reporters after a meeting with National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo in Jakarta on Thursday (December 4).
His team is still tracing the origin of the logs, including the possibility of their origin from illegal logging, timber accumulated during land clearing for oil-palm plantations or mining, or from Land Rights Holders (PHAT).
“Natural forests located within Other Use Areas (APL), which are still natural forests but fall outside designated forest zones, are being used as a form of timber laundering. We will look into this further together,” the minister stated.
The Ministry of Forestry and the National Police have formed an investigative team to determine the source of the wood swept away by floods in Sumatra, including a large number of logs found in the flooded area of South Tapanuli District, North Sumatra.
Police personnel have been deployed to two areas in the Garoga River Basin and the Anggoli area around Batang Toru, North Sumatra.
"Let the team work and we will report regularly to the public," Antoni stated.
Officials also deployed the Automatic Log Identification Tool (AIKO) to examine the wood’s physical characteristics and identify possible signs of human interference.
Meanwhile, authorities have identified 12 companies suspected of contributing to the hydrometeorological disasters that devastated three Sumatran provinces.
The ministry’s law enforcement unit is still finalizing the list of entities linked to the flash floods and landslides that struck Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
Under President Prabowo Subianto’s directive, the ministry plans to revoke about 20 forest-use permits covering roughly 750 hectares, Antoni said.
The ministry previously revoked 18 permits spanning about 526,144 hectares. The names of the companies and the size of their concessions will be disclosed once President Prabowo signs off on the revocations, he added.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna Violleta, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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