Nov 17, 2005. /Lesprom Network/. Indian forestry minister MS Kaban has declared total war against those committing or involved in illegal logging to stem the expansion of forest destruction. We must stop forest looting, he said. He pointed out that illegal logging has become rampant since the beginning of the reform era, and compared this kind of forest looting to cancer that has entered the fourth stage or the most dangerous stage that threatens human life. Illegal logging damages no less than 2.8 million hectares of forests every year, he said, adding that only 59.3 million hectares out of the available 120 million hectares of production forests are still preserved at present production forests are still preserved out. Unless stern measures are taken to stop forest looting, forest conservation to guarantee wood supply to the wood processing industry can be maintained only for the coming 15 years, according to the minister. He disclosed that the forestry ministry recently detected 1 200 units of bulldozers operated for illegal logging in Papua province. If each bulldozer can finish logging on two hectares of forest a day, the 1 200 units of bulldozers can denude 2 400 hectares of forest a day, he concluded. In Riau, officials of the provincial office of the forestry ministry recently discovered a 6 km-long row of log rafts in a river to be smuggled out of the country. The wood processing industry abroad, especially in China and Malaysia, has taken advantage of the supply of illegal logs from Indonesia. Merbau wood from Papua is sold at only about INR 50 000 ($1000) per cubic meter brokers, who then sell it at INR 300 000 ($6 600) - INR 400 000 ($8 740) per cubic meter. to wood processing companies, which will process the wood into finished products, which will be offered at $1 000 per cubic meter. It seems that countries which have become the destination of illegal log export from Indonesia pretend to be unaware of the availability of illegal log supply, according to Kaban. Giving an example, he pointed out Malaysian customs officials just stamp logs crossing the border and entering the Malaysian territory, without questioning sources of the supply. As part of the effort to stop forest looting, the forestry ministry has revoked the concession of 172 forest concession holders and will improve the capability and equipment of forest police. To uncover the receivers of illegal log supply overseas, the Indonesian government has categorized illegal logging as a money laundering practices.