AT daybreak, the small port of Kumai in Central Kalimantan slowly crawls to life. Two weeks ago, however, the morning saw only two vessels at the pier. There was no sign of life on board the ships, even when the sun rose higher.

The two vessels—Sinar Jaya I and II—were detained there after being caught while carrying stolen timber. The joint operational team, made up of representatives of the forestry service, the port administration