Minister probes origin of logs washed away in Sumatra floods

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian would collect official data and investigate the logs that were swept away by the floods in Sumatra.

"The circulating information said it was the result of illegal logging, some said it was rotten wood. However, I cannot answer something I haven't seen myself, nor have I obtained official data, and I need to investigate with law enforcement officials," he said in a press conference in his office on Monday.

According to him, the government is currently focusing on providing aid by air and opening access to isolated areas. President Prabowo Subianto has also visited the affected areas.

Previously, a member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Daniel Johan, asked the government to investigate the logs that were swept away during the floods in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.

"We urge the government to immediately form an investigative team to determine where the wood came from and why it was swept away in the disaster. Were there any violations? Was there illegal logging? Who was the perpetrator?" he asked.

He mentioned that the formation of an investigative team is necessary for both the government and the public.

"This will certainly bring relief to the public and increase public trust in the government," he added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR RI), Eddy Soeparno, assessed that the series of disasters in Aceh and several areas in Sumatra are clear signs of a climate and environmental crisis faced by the country.

Soeparno noted that the significant increase in temperatures in various major cities and the unpredictable changes in weather patterns are strong indications of climate change.

"There has been an increase in temperatures everywhere. We also no longer know when to expect rain or a dry season," he said.

In a statement on Sunday (November 30), the Ministry of Forestry said it is investigating the origins of the wood swept away by floodwaters in Sumatra, including possible links to illegal logging and other unlawful activities, following earlier findings of illegal timber trafficking in the affected regions.

The ministry's Director General of Law Enforcement, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, stated that the wood carried by floodwaters in Sumatra could originate from various sources, including rotting trees, fallen trees, river-borne material, former legal logging areas, and abuse of Land Rights Holders (PHAT) and illegal logging.