Flood disaster loggers branded 'terrorists'

Indonesia’s environment minister today labelled illegal loggers ”terrorists” for rampant deforestation said to be the main cause of a devastating flood on Sumatra island that left more than 200 people either dead or missing.

The flash flood on the western Indonesian island swept away scores of homes, many of which served as guesthouses for tourists visiting a famous orangutan reserve.

Rescuers with chain saws and bulldozers had pulled out 92 bodies by Wednesday from debris – mostly uprooted trees, logs, rocks and building materials – piled two storeys high.

Environmentalists say unchecked logging in Indonesia disrupts the natural absorption and flow of rainwater from the highlands, triggering floods and landslides that sweep into the valleys.

Government officials admit that illegal felling in Leuser Park may have blocked a waterway high in the mountains, causing a huge flash flood when they collapsed on Sunday night in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra.

“These illegal loggers are like terrorists,” Environment Minister Nabiel Makarim said at the presidential palace in Jakarta.

He said the environment ministry has given instructions to clear the protected forests of illegal loggers in Sumatra but “it’s extremely difficult to prosecute them because we are dealing with corrupt officials and business people”.

President Megawati Sukarnoputri sent her “deepest condolences to those who have lost family members or suffered from the disaster.”

Megawati ordered a high-level ministerial team to assess the damage.

Most of the victims were villagers – many of them workers in the local tourism industry and their families. Five of the dead were foreigners – two Germans, two Austrians and a Singaporean.