Handling illegal logging in Quynh Van commune: Not satisfactory!?

(Baonghean) -Pursuant to the Administrative Violation Record No. 19957/BB-VPHC of the Quynh Luu Forest Protection Department and the proposal of the Forest Protection Sub-Department in Official Dispatch No. 486/KL-TTPC, dated November 27, 2013, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 5622/QD.UBND.KT on administrative sanctions in the field of forest management, forest protection and forest product management against Mr. Le Duc Ai (village 13, Quynh Van commune, Quynh Luu). However, citizens in this locality continue to submit petitions stating that the form of sanction is not satisfactory...

The pine forest area on Dong Cao hill, hamlet 13, Quynh Van commune has been completely cut down.

According to the petition of Mr. Ho Sy Hoa, residing in Hamlet 13, Quynh Van Commune: On April 13, 2013, the People's Committee of Quynh Van Commune issued Decision No. 52-QD.UBND allowing Mr. Le Duc Ai to exploit and thin pine forests and collect forest products at Dong Cao Hill, Hamlet 13. Taking advantage of the license, Mr. Ai organized illegal forest exploitation. The incident was reported by citizens to the authorities. On November 27, 2013, the Provincial People's Committee issued a decision to administratively fine Mr. Le Duc Ai VND 50,000,000 and forced him to replant forests on the illegally exploited area. However, this fine was not satisfactory because the violations of Mr. Ai that the authorities submitted to the Provincial People's Committee were not complete. In fact, Mr. Le Duc Ai's violations in illegal forest exploitation were much more serious.

Mr. Ho Sy Hoa affirmed: "According to the decision to grant a license to exploit and thin out pine forests and collect forest products by the People's Committee of Quynh Van commune, Mr. Le Duc Ai was allowed to do so at lots 1, 2, 3, 4 in Block 2, Sub-area 344C (7.5 hectares wide); the amount of wood exploited and collected was 2,725 trees, equivalent to 69.9m3. However, Mr. Ai has exploited completely in many areas (in the licensed area and outside the licensed area); exploited more than the licensed volume at the firebreak. Mr. Le Duc Ai's violations are very serious, but the Provincial People's Committee only knows about his violations in the firebreak area and a completely exploited area in the licensed area, but does not know about the violations in other areas. Not only that, because the licensing documents of the People's Committee of the commune are not true to reality, the volume of pine wood that Mr. Ai exploited is many times higher than the license...".

Checking the licensing records of Quynh Van Commune People's Committee for Mr. Le Duc Ai, in the 2013 pine forest exploitation design explanation, the design solution is: After surveying and investigating to grasp some basic indicators of the exploitation and thinning design area, proceed to divide the plots, measure the plot boundaries, calculate the area, set up plot markers in the field, set up forest verification plots at the plot representative locations to calculate forestry indicators, determine the specific number of trees for each forest plot. Then proceed to thinning the trees. The exploited trees are numbered in specific order from 1 to n at the 1.3m position marked with red paint... Regarding thinning exploitation techniques: Thinning trees are crooked, diseased, poorly developed trees... In the resource table and elements of the pruned pine forest confirmed by the Chairman of Quynh Van Commune People's Committee, the average diameter of the trees is from 9.5 cm to 12 cm.

Verifying the actual scene at Dong Cao hill, block 13, Quynh Van commune, everything here is completely opposite to what was stated in the file that Quynh Van commune People's Committee had licensed. More than a year has passed but the pine stumps that were cut down are still intact, so it is not difficult for us to witness the areas of pine forest that were completely cut down, estimate the number of trees that were cut down as well as determine the diameter of the tree trunks. There are up to 5 areas that have been completely cut down, of which, there are 3 areas in the licensed area, one area adjacent to the firebreak and one area outside the licensed area. In the licensed area, there are many areas where the pine trees were cut down very thickly, not at all thinning. And the actual diameter of the pine stumps on Dong Cao hill that we measured is mostly over 20 cm, even, there are stumps up to 35 - 38 cm. Present at Dong Cao hill, Mr. Ho Sy Hoa was indignant: "It is very clear that Mr. Le Duc Ai violated the law. Not only that, the People's Committee of Quynh Van commune is very irresponsible in checking before granting licenses and supervising the implementation of the granted licenses. We have informed these issues to the authorities for a long time but do not understand why such violations are not handled properly according to the provisions of the law...".

Documents from relevant agencies clearly show that Mr. Le Duc Ai's violations of the law were discovered thanks to citizen denunciations. However, from the beginning of September 2013, Mr. Ho Sy Hoa sent a petition to the People's Committee of Quynh Van commune, but it was not until November 11, 2013 that the Quynh Luu Forest Protection Department made a record of administrative violations; on November 12, 2013, Official Dispatch No. 75/KL.PC on administrative sanctions beyond authority was sent to the Forest Protection Sub-Department, stating that Mr. Le Duc Ai illegally exploited 155 trees (equivalent to 10.05m3) in the firebreak area, and clear-cutted 140 trees (equivalent to 7.40m3) in the thinning area; the total volume of violations was 295 trees, equivalent to 17.45m3 of pine logs. And this is also the data stated in the Report on the verification results of the petition content of the interdisciplinary inspection team established by the Forest Protection Department. Based on these documents, on November 19, 2013, the Forest Protection Department issued Official Dispatch No. 486/KL-TTPC requesting the Provincial People's Committee to impose administrative sanctions on Mr. Le Duc Ai.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Ngoan, Deputy Head of the Inspection and Legal Department, Forest Protection Department, Head of the interdisciplinary inspection team, at the time the team carried out the task, citizens only reported violations in the areas that the team had inspected, in addition, Quynh Luu Forest Protection Department also did not report to the team that Mr. Le Duc Ai had committed violations in other areas. Therefore, the inspection results of the team at that time were accurate and the decision to impose administrative sanctions by the Provincial People's Committee was in accordance with the provisions of the law. Regarding the contents that citizens reported to Nghe An Newspaper, according to Mr. Ngoan, with the newly discovered violations reported by citizens, Quynh Luu Forest Protection Department must be responsible for inspection and verification. If Quynh Luu Forest Protection Department does not comply, then the Forest Protection Department will be responsible. Regarding the preparation of records and the decision to grant licenses by the People's Committee of Quynh Van commune, according to Mr. Ngoan, in the process of measuring according to regulations in the agricultural sector, there may be errors, however, here it shows that the appraisal work is not close to reality...

Based on what was witnessed in the pine forest area on Dong Cao hill, the citizens of hamlet 13, Quynh Van commune, believe that the authorities have not fully reported Mr. Le Duc Ai's violations to the Provincial People's Committee, which is not without basis. The responsibility for the forest, first of all, belongs to the forest rangers and local authorities. Having to rely on citizens to detect and report violations, these units must see that they have not fulfilled their duties. Receiving a citizen's complaint but being slow to handle it, or not handling it thoroughly, clearly shows signs of covering up violations. With the incident that happened in Dong Cao hill, hamlet 13, Quynh Van commune, the Forestry Sub-Department needs to get involved to clarify.

Ha Giang