Three ships carrying 25,000m³ of illegal timber worth around US$4m have been captured in the Java Sea by the Indonesian authorities. A fourth ship escaped.
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Telapak Indonesia say it is imperative the Indonesian authorities use the opportunity to bring down a major international timber smuggling syndicate extending from Central Kalimantan to Jakarta, Singapore and China.
The EIA claims that a large proportion of timber processed in Indonesia comes from illegal sources, and points out that the three seized vessels were carrying logs despite a log export ban.
