From: "ORANGUTAN'S FRIEND" <pygmaeus@yahoo.com>
Dear Sirs,
I live in Jakarta (Indonesian capital) and had been worked in Tanjung
Puting National Park 5 years ago, as a volunteer to the Orangutan
rehabilitation centers in the park (not to Prof. Birute Galdikas of OFI).
Twice a year I visit the park in order to fulfill my longing to the
orangutans and all the flora and fauna in the park.
I have some friends who stay in Pangkalan Bun, the nearest town to the
park.
We, who may be only 0,0001 % of Indonesian people who concern about our
tropical rain forest and the earth, just like you and many other
Westerners.
We are not able to mentioned any names in this letter since it could be a
danger for us (even though our country is in Reformation Era after 30's
years banned by the old government) if we are being known that we have
announce this message all over the world. WE ARE AFRAID to be known.
We need your help to spread out this message or to contact some
organizations or individuals who care about the animals, rain forest and
future of the earth.
We are also need your help to contact DIRECTLY the ministry of Indonesia
Forestry Department:
DR. MUSLIMIN NASUTION
MENTERI KEHUTANAN REPUBLIK INDONESIA/MINISTER OF FORESTRY DEPARTMENT
Fax: 62-21-5700226
(Even though the looting at the park has been happened since about 3 months
ago, but there is not action yet from the Minister. We pretty sure the
minister has no hear about it or got no proper information about what is
happening. As far as we know, he is idealism to the nature).
We are asking for your attention for what has happened to the endemic
species Orangutans (pongo pygmaeus) and the tropical rain forest in Tanjung
Puting National Park, Indonesia, since the last 3 months.
Please read the message enclosed below.
And we would like to underline here that all of us here want to spread
out this message not due to commercialism aspects of the Orangutans and
the park. GOD KNOWS about this.
Any morality support (not MATERIAL SUPPORT) through this email will be
useful in encourage us to stop this disasters.
Best Wishes,
Pongo
14 April 1999
Since the last 3 months, the Tanjung Puting National Park and all the
life in it are threatened from a big disaster.
The logging activities have crossed the boundary of Intensive Use Zone
to the Orangutans Zone and even have reached the Rehabilitation
Centers: Camp Leakey, Pondok Tanguy and Tanjung Harapan.
The worse are happened at Pondok Tanguy: There are no more orangutans
can be seen! Where are they go?! (My last visit to this area in the
middle of 1998, there were still a lot of orangutans playing happily on
the trees in their natural habitat). And now, the loggers use the
Pondok Tanguy's pier to load/unload the logs and their equipment.
At Camp Leakey, the roar of Chainsaws can be heard everyday and even
getting closer day by day to this famous research center.
According to the friends in Pangkalan Bun (the nearest town to the
park), the forestry rangers are now afraid to walk deeper in the jungle
to control the orangutans or even to go to the feeding station to give
additional food to the rehabilitant orangutans. The friends also said
that the tourism guides are also afraid to take tourists trekking
deeper into the jungle and avoid encounter with the loggers.
The logging activities are freely use the pier of Natai Lengkuas and
Pondok Ambung (both are Proboscis Monkeys research stations) and Pondok
Tanguy for loading. And they do this under the sunshine/in the midday!
In the past, they tugged the logs in the night.
According to the friends, the PHPA (Forest Protection and Natural
Conservation, a unit of Forestry Department) has done some efforts to stop
the logging activities, but it useless since the "Connections" who back up
the loggers are too strong. There was also a team in cooperation with the
local government from Forestry Department Provincial office to investigate
this, but it didn't work at all. According to the friends, the team was
going home with "envelopes" in their hands!
Even now, it is difficult to obtain any information regarding this case
from the PHPA or any body relating to this case. They are afraid OR
hiding and keep the information off and act that THERE IS NOTHING BAD
HAPPENED in Tanjung Puting Park!
The friends them selves are afraid to announce this situations out of
Pangkalan Bun. There are some people terrorized them to get their ass "out
of the business". Even one of the friend's telephone is tapped (you can
imagine how strong the "connection/the web" is!).
Even though there is an office of Orangutan Foundation International in
Pangkalan Bun, seems that they have no action (yet).
If this is not being stopped RIGHT NOW, we predicted that orangutans
will disappear in the early of 2000, the beginning of new age, following
the disappearance of the trees in Tanjung Puting National Park.
The friends are still continuing to investigate and obtain proves. They
move silently/secretly. They even ask us for not mentioning any names
or address of them in this letter.
They are now working together (besides us) with an International journalist
for investigation but shown no result yet, so far.
Let's support them by spreading this scandal all over the world in shake of
the existence of the Orangutans, the rainforest with the flora and fauna in
it, and the earth, our home.
- Pongo -
pygmaeus@yahoo.com
PS: We are now taking some pictures of the areas. We will send them to whom
it may concern.