Indonesia seizes illegally logged wood from Papua

Published March 09, 2018

Indonesian authorities foiled the shipment of 21 containers of prized ironwood from Papua, highlighting what environmentalists say is a rampant illegal trade in the country's easternmost region.

The Forestry and Environment Ministry's law enforcement agency said the wood from the Kaimana tropical forest was processed and ready for shipment to Surabaya, home to a major port and a center of Indonesia's wood furniture manufacturing and export industry on the island of Java.

The seizure was made Tuesday and announced Thursday.

Greenpeace Indonesia said the seizure is small compared with long-standing smuggling from Papua where no "big actors" have been prosecuted.

Indonesia was in 2016 admitted to an EU licensing system that makes it easier for Indonesian wood producers to export to the bloc.

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