Arrests of Greenpeace Activists, Wilmar: It is a Third Party Ship

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The president commissioner of PT Wilmar Nabati Indonesia, Master Parulian Tumanggor, has spoken about the peaceful rally staged by six Greenpeace activists in the waters of Cadiz Bay near Spain. The six activists boarded the Stolt Tenacity Ship, which was carrying palm oil from the Wilmar refinery in Dumai, Riau. 

Tumanggor explained the ship was owned by a third party and was not part of the Wilmar Group. "So we cannot give any comment about that," he said when contacted on Sunday, November 19, in Jakarta, adding that the oil was still on the Stolt Tenacity Ship because it was suspended in the sea.

Six Greenpeace activists were detained after managing to unfurl banners reading "Save our Rainforest and Drop Dirty Palm Oil". It was not known how the six activists boarded the cargo ship. 

Read: Greenpeace Activists Detained after Boarding Palm Oil Tanker 

Greenpeace stated that Wilmar is the main supplier of palm oil for the Mondelez snack company. The company is one of the largest buyers of palm oil in the world to use on many well-known products, such as Oreo biscuits, Cadbury chocolates, and Ritz biscuits. 

Greenpeace International's investigation found that Mondelez's palm oil supplier had destroyed 70,000 hectares of forest throughout Southeast Asia in two years. Greenpeace found evidence of forest fires, children employment, workers exploitation, illegal logging and land grabbing. 

Responding to the accusations, Master underlined that Wilmar has a very strict non-deforestation peat and exploitation policy. Yet, he did not detail the policies. Meanwhile, Wilmar Nabati Indonesia vice president director Erik Tjia was also tight-lipped on the issue. "Just wait, there will be an official response from Wilmar," Erik said. 

FAJAR PEBRIANTO