Indonesia’s crackdown on illegal logging in Papua has dented wood shipments to China but failed to catch top smugglers, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency and Telepak.
The groups admitted that the Indonesian government’s two-month action, started in March, had reduced illegal logging in the province. But they said the arrest of 173 suspects had not broken major criminal networks behind the illegal trade.
Telepak called for politicians and top officials in Papua and Jakarta to be investigated.
Meanwhile, Malaysia and China have allegedly turned down Indonesian requests for help to crack down on the trade in illegal timber.
Indonesia’s forestry minister has reportedly accused the other countries of spurning help because they make massive profits from sourcing illegal Indonesian timber.
The minister said the illegal trade to China over the past couple of years was worth US$1.8bn, with wood being smuggled to Malaysia or Singapore before being shipped to Hong Kong.
