Police seals off coal ports in South Kalimantan

The South Kalimantan police has sealed off six coal ports in the Kotabaru area of the province on the suspicion of having no licenses, South Kalimantan-based daily Banjarmasin Post said.

The papers said the modes ports located in the Teluk Kelumpang protected forest in Sembilang village, Kelumpang Tengah district, were sealed off on Friday.

South Kalimantan?s police chief Brig. Gen. Dodi Sumantyawan said the police made the move to investigate if the ports had licenses. Based on the preliminary investigation, he said, four of the six ports already had licenses.

The police chief refused to unveil the institutions which issued the licenses, saying: ?You?d better ask the detective office about it.?

The daily said the Teluk Kelumpang area has been designated as a conservation area based on the Ministry of Forestry?s decree No. 287 of 1981. But, the local governments have the right to issue the so-called ?Regional Zoning Plan? (RTRW) and the ?Regency Zoning Plan? (RTRK) to change the convert the function of the conservation area. (*)