PRESIDENT ORDERS PROBE INTO COURT VERDICTS IN ILLEGAL LOGGING CASES

Jakarta, April 16 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has instructed the Anti-Mafia Task Force to investigate illegal logging court cases in which defendants only received lenient sentences or were even acquitted, a minister said.

"The President expressed concern over damage to forests," Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring said after attending a limited cabinet meeting here on Friday.

Sembiring said the President expressed his concern after he heard a report during the meeting from Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan that Indonesia's primary forests had now been reduced to 24 percent from 71 percent previously.

For this reason, Sembiring said, the President ordered the Anti-Mafia Task Force which is led by Kuntoro Mangkusubroto to find out why many illegal logging defendants had only received lenient sentences.

Quoting Minister Hasan's statement, Sembiring gave an example that of 92 illegal logging defendants, 49 were acquitted, 24 got only one-year jail term sand 19 others got penalties ranging from one to 2 years.

The information minister also said that the president and the relevant ministers would also inspect damaged forest areas. The president also called on regional government heads, namely district heads and governors to assume responsibility for the safeguarding of forests.

"(Regional governments) must be careful in issuing business licenses for forest exploitation and mining because they can worsen forest damage. A provincial-based environment master plan for big islands must be made," the president was quoted as saying.