BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Jan 9, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Forest rangers in
Indonesia’s Aceh province will be equipped with guns in the battle against
illegal logging, an environmental agency official said Thursday.
The jungle-clad region at the tip of Sumatra island loses some 32,000
hectares (79,000 acres) of more than two million hectares of forest annually
due to deforestation, including from illegal timber activities, authorities
said.
But the risks of fighting criminal elements had soared with many loggers
now carrying firearms, said Aceh environmental agency head Syahrial, who goes
by one name.
“Being on duty in the forest without firearms is not only risky but it’s
also not effective when you’re facing illegal loggers (who are usually
armed),” he added.
About 120 rangers would be given pistols, rifles and ammunition at a cost
of about 1.39 billion rupiah ($93,500), Syahrial said.
“We’ve coordinated with local police with respect to procurement and
permits,” he added.
Gun ownership is uncommon in Indonesia outside of military or police
personnel and obtaining a personal licence can be difficult.
Aceh’s forest rangers once had guns but they were confiscated after a
separatist insurgency broke out in the 1970s. The conflict ended with a 2005
peace deal.
This week’s decision comes after Aceh earlier announced that poachers who
threaten endangered orangutans, tigers and other wildlife could receive up to
100 lashes from a rattan cane.
While public whipping is common in Indonesia’s Aceh — the only region in
the world’s biggest Muslim majority country that imposes Islamic law — it is
usually reserved for morality crimes.