Palangkaraya-Indonesia, October  , 2012

Special To: 

Bundeskanzler [Mrs. DR. Angela Markel]

In Berlin-Germany.

Dear Madam,

Save Our Borneo [SOB] is civil society organization that is located in Palangkaraya-Central. Its working area covers all Kalimantan.  SOB works is prior the justice and equity principle, respect to all community’s rights, encourage the fair natural sources distribution especially all that based on natural sources.

Recently, SOB concentrate in local community facilitation in struggling the fair natural sources distribution and their life’s rights where these issues appear because of natural sources exploitation problems especially forest and land that massive oil palm expansion in Indonesia particularly in Kalimantan.

Important to be noticed is that oil palm expansion compulsion at our land (Dayak, Melayu, Kutai, Banjar, etc) in Kalimantan because of world energy demand and trend of bio-diesel usage, especially which is consumed by America, East Asia and Europe, and also consumed by your country – Germany.

We know that your country have strong commitment in terms of reducing carbon emission and glasshouse effect, this commitment should be supported by friendly, clean and accountable energy consumption and food policy.

Crude palm oil [CPO] for power plant that spread and consume in your country give direct effect for reforestation, environmental degradation, land robbery owned by community, manipulation, and corruption in elite level where plantation investment of oil palm is developed.

Herewith, as consumers country-if your policy do not boundary and do not arrange strict regulation on investment and consumption of palm oil then it can be said that you and your country seriously contribute to reforestation, environmental disaster, and community’s land robbery, manipulation and corruption as well.

We believe that you and your country do not really want to contribute to the negative which is at stated above, but we are realize that your country need energy and food from palm oil. One thing that we should firmly state that we decline the policy about fulfilling the energy and food that cause reforestation, environmental disasters, community’s land grabbing, manipulation and corruption as well.

We seriously protest and objection on German bank investment to palm oil industry in Indonesia, we also objection on palm oil consumption for alternative energy which is claimed as “bio-energy”, because actually oil palm plantation cannot be said as a environment friendly. 

Oil palm plantation use chemistry ingredients like herbicide, pesticide, fungicide, and fertilizer. It destroy water and river ecosystem because of CPO mill waste.    

Social impact will affect to local community whose working area become smaller and narrower for ethno-agro-forest. As time passing, community’s production tools getting disappear because of oil palm expansion.  

Based on what mentioned above, once again we assert our protest and objection on investment and your government policy on oil palm plantation sector and oil palm that plant in Indonesia, especially in Kalimantan because it create problems of life and life sources getting harder for communities.

We also objection on a moment information dissemination that said oil palm is “bio-fuel”, because actually palm oil is obtained from unfriendly environment process, full of corruption, Human Rights violations, especially rain tropic forest in our area.

We wish these issues would be concern of you and your country on energy policy and decision making of your country.

Thank you very much,

Save Our Borneo,

PT. Hati Prima Agro Buka Lahan Tidak Sah

“IPKH-nya Sudah Dicabut Menhut”

Saveourborneo [28.5.12] Pembukaan Lahan yang dilakukan pada areal Perkebunan Besar Swasta [PBS] PT. Hati Prima Agro [HPA] di Kecamatan Antang Kalang diduga kuat illegal.  PT. HPA selama ini dikatakan mempunyai Ijin Pelepasan Kawasan Hutan [IPKH] dari Kementerian Kehutanan pada tahun 2000 dengan SK IPKH No. 186/Kpts-II/2000. 

Padahal SK tersebut talah dicabut oleh Menteri Kehutanan pada tanggal 11 Maret 2008 dengan Surat Menhut No : SK.51/Menhut-II/2008 tentang  “Pencabutan Keputusan Menteri Kehutanan dan Perkebunan Nomor 186/KPTS-II/2000 tanggal 29 Juni 2000 tentang Pelepasan Sebagian Kawasan Hutan dari Kelompok Hutan S. Mentaya Seluas 5.369,80 Hektare, Untuk Perkebunan Kelapa Sawit Atas Nama PT. Hati Prima Agro Yang Terletak di Kecamatan Antang Kalang, Kabupaten Daerah Tingkat II Kotawaringain Timur Propinsi Daerah Tingkat I Kalimantan Tengah”.

Dalam keputusanya, Menhut jelas memerintahkan agar menghentikan segala aktivitas didalam areal dimaksud, namun nyatanya pada tahun 2010-2011 PT. HPA melakukan land clearing dan dibarengi dengan penanaman didalam kawasan hutan tersebut.

Kepala Dinas Kehutanan Kab. Kotim menyebutkan bahwa PT. HPA [IOI Corp] mempunyai Izin Pemanfaatan Kayu [IPK] untuk  arealnya seluas 3000 ha, yang dikeluarkan oleh Dinas Kehutanan Kabupaten Kotawaringin Timur – Kalimantan Tengah Nomor 522/1/651/1.03/III/2011 tertanggal 29 Maret 2011, atas nama UD Karya Budi, Kecamatan Parenggean.  IPK ini didasarkan pada adanya Izin Pelepasan Kawasan Hutan dari Kementerian Kehutanan No. 186/KPST-II/2000, katanya.

IPK UD Karya Budi di Areal PT. HPA juga Illegal

Akibat digunakannya SK IPKH No. 186/Kpts-II/2000 yang telah dicabut dan diabaikannya Surat Menhut No : SK.51/Menhut-II/2008 tentang  Pencabutan Keputusan Menteri Kehutanan dan Perkebunan Nomor 186/KPTS-II/2000, maka secara sengaja diberikan Ijin Pemanfaatan Kayu [IPK] kepada UD Karya Budi milik seorang pengusaha dari Parenggean yang merupakan kolega lama Bupati Kotim.

Bupati Kotim dan Dinas Kehutanan Kotim dalam hal ini telah sengaja mengabaikan Surat Menhut guna memuluskan pembalakan haram diareal PT. HPA dengan tameng legalisasi melalui IPK yang didasari dengan IPKH yang sebenarnya sudah tidak berlaku dan telah dicabut oleh Menhut.

Sudah ribuan potong kayu diangkut dari areal PT. HPA bahkan juga IPK UD Karya Budi diduga kuat menampung kayu-kayu tebangan dari areal IPK sejak sekitar awal 2011 yang lalu.

Tim Investigasi Save Our Borneo yang mendatangi lokasi pada Maret-Mei 2012 menemukan ribuan potong kayu berada didalam konsesi PT. HPA/IOI Corp yang dikelola oleh IPK UD Katya Budi.  Bersamaan dengan itu didapati juga hutan-hutan yang telah dibabat dan sebagian telah mulai ditanami kelapa sawit.

Bupati Kotim dan Dinas Kehutanan Kotim harus bertangungjwab atas praktik pembalakan haram dan sengaja mengabaikan SK pencabutan IPKH diareal PT. HPA tersebut.

Diduga kuat bahwa SK.51/Menhut-II/2008 sengaja disembunyikan, tidak digunakan dan atau diabaikan agar dapat dilakukan pemberian Izin Pemanfaatan Kayu [IPK] terhadap perusahaan milik kolega pejabat penting di Kotim. 

SOB menduga terjadi praktik pidana kehutanan yang sangat serius dan terstruktur, juga dibarengi dengan praktik korupsi dan pencucian uang dari praktik pembalakan haram bertopeng IPK dengan menggunakan Izin Pelepasan Kawasan Hutan yang sudah dicabut tersebut.

SOB berencana akan melaporkan ini kepada MAbes Polri, Kejaksaan dan juga ke KPK dalam jangka dekat, untuk diambil tindakan.  Jikapun ini mentok, maka SOB juga akan mengambil langkah lain untuk memintak internasional memboikot produk sawit dari group IOI Bhd Malaysia.

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