Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia was honored with two awards from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), recognizing its efforts in combating transboundary environmental crimes through law enforcement.
Deputy for Pollution Control and Environmental Damage at the Environment Ministry Rasio Ridho Sani announced the Asia Environmental Enforcement Recognition of Excellence (AEEE) awards were granted for the Directorate General of Law Enforcement's outstanding performance in the 2023–2024 period.
"This award is a recognition for all law enforcement officers and partner institutions who protected Indonesia's environment and natural resources," he stated on Saturday.
Indonesia received an award in the Collaboration category for its joint efforts in handling the oil pollution incident involving the supertanker MT Arman 114 between 2023 and 2024.
This successful collaboration included the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla), the Riau Islands High Prosecutor's Office, the Batam District Prosecutor's Office, and the Batam City Immigration Office.
The joint legal action led to the conviction of the MT Arman 114 captain, who was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined Rp5 billion (US$292,000).
The ship and its cargo of 166,975.63 metric tons of crude oil were also confiscated for the state, marking it as one of the largest verdicts in Indonesian marine environmental law enforcement history.
The second recognition, in the Impact category, was awarded for the success of the Ujung Kulon National Park Operations Task Force.
This task force—comprising the Directorate General of Law Enforcement, the Ujung Kulon National Park Office, and the Banten Regional Police—uncovered a large-scale poaching and illegal trade network targeting the critically endangered Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus)
Sani explained that the operation resulted in the arrest of nine perpetrators (seven poachers and two rhinoceros horn buyers) and the confiscation of 390 homemade weapons.
The court delivered historically high sentences for wildlife crime in Indonesia: the poachers received an average of 11–12 years in prison, while the buyers received 1–4 years.
The Task Force also exposed a secondary illegal trade network involving eight rhinoceros horns in Palembang, South Sumatra, resulting in four-year prison sentences for those perpetrators.
The AEEE awards are initiated by UNEP in collaboration with institutions like INTERPOL, CITES, and UNDP, recognizing excellence in handling complex, cross-border environmental cases.
