Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Indonesia will not let foreign non-governmental organizations to continue running negative campaigns on forestry issues and damage the country's international reputation, according to a forestry ministry official.
The director general of forest protection and nature conservation, Darori, said here on Wednesday it was alright for the NGOs to offer criticism or advice, but they must do so in a responsible manner.
He added foreign NGOs must also operate according to the country's rules. "Once an NGO apparently found a tiger's nail in a jewellery shop and reported about it across the world. They also accused Indonesia of not doing enough to save tigers. Because of that, I told them to leave the country within 24 hours or face arrest. They left that night. It proves they are also afraid," Darori noted.
He said another illegal NGO, meanwhile, had admitted to receiving Rp75 billion for developing a region but was found to have misused most of the funds. "They only built a building worth Rp1 billion and not Rp75 billion," Darori added.
He stated foreign NGOs put immense pressure on Indonesia, especially on its pulp and paper industries, because of trade competition. In view of that, Darori called on businesses to conduct competition fairly.(IGT)
