During June 1999, the Earth Advocates environmental protection group once again took its two year campaign directly to one of the predominate violators of International and National Sea Turtle Protection laws, located at Tanjung, Bali, Indonesia. This was the second such surprise visit in one year by Earth Advocates. Included were an outspoken Balinese High Priest and others opposed to the on-going pillage of Sea Turtles within Indonesia. See 'Agenda June 26', invitation to this Action provided by Earth Advocates .

The first major 'Action' took place during June, 1998, the first such protest of its kind since the existence of this on-going organized slaughter and trade on Bali. Among other invited participants were members of the national press including the uninterested and unreliable local 'Bali Post', a paid presence of Indonesia's National Television TVRI, members of the Gandhi Ashram Religious Order, a member of Walhi (Indonesia's predominate non governmental Nature Conservation group), an observer of the WWF Bali office (World Wide Fund for Nature), Tempo Weekly Magazine, and the National Newspaper 'Kompas' Daily. The visit brought forth some very disturbing yet predictable observations. Segments recorded by TVRI and an independent source on 8 mm video show graphic evidence.

The convoy of participants began the Action June 26, 1999, by walking 50 meters to the beach area from the market place of Tanjung, which ironically is surrounded by a Chinese Buddhist Temple, a Balinese Hindu Temple, and to the opposite side directly across the Slaughter grounds, a Muslim Mosque. Ironic since the Hindu and Muslim religions generally forbid consumption of the Turtle, and the true Buddhist would philosophically deplore the Turtle trade and its inhuman Slaughter, yet some members of all these three Followings are involved in the trade, slaughter and consumption of the Sea Turtle.

New Observations

The first, most obvious difference we observed compared to our previous visits, was, that in the various pens at least 80% of the Sea Turtles had not yet reached a mature age (mature age being the age equivalent and necessary for reproduction). In fact 65% were very small with about a 40 cm shell length. These captured Turtles hadn't yet reached their third year of life since birth, and were badly injured from the brutal treatment applied by their captors and holders. A similar ratio of young to mature turtles was observed in the holding pools, directly off the beach. The purpose of the pools is to revive brutalized Turtles in an effort to prevent "premature" death before the gruesome slaughtering procedure. A procedure so gruesome it can only be compared in Human terms to skinning a person alive then cutting off the limbs one by one before finally cutting off the head thus killing the victim. This method, according to Turtle specialists, is used to prevent certain body parts from sticking to the shell if death occurs before the internal organs are exposed and separated from the shell.

Such a brutal death was witnessed by the group upon reaching the major slaughter house at Jalan Segara Lor 15, across from the residence of Pak Hasan the major Maduran dealer of Turtles on Bali. A very large turtle of plus 1.3 meter shell size had just been slowly slaughtered. Amazingly as we approached, his decapitated head moved, stretching his neck, he opened his eyes and mouth as if he were still breathing. Due to the Sea Turtles extraordinary qualities to absorb oxygen slowly, its brain can still be alive 20 minutes after being severed from its body! It seemed as
his final good-bye, a sigh of relief from the pain endured after so many years of roaming the seas. His massive head lay on a pile of his own and other Turtles lifeless body parts. This unbelievable sight was caught on Camera and can be viewed on a film clip.

The Law versus Reality

The revised Indonesian Environmental Protection Laws of January 1999 clearly include the full protection of all Sea Turtles, including the previously unlisted Green Turtle. This change is primarily due to relentless pressure by Environmental groups and foreign lobbying including that exerted by the Earth Advocates since starting the July 1997 campaign. Unfortunately, compliance of this new legislation is virtually non existent. This is due to many obvious factors such as, the lack of necessary environmental conservation education, the lack of understanding by government and the general public of their role in sustaining a healthy environment, the lack of past positive models demonstrating rewards for sound environmental practices, and the general lack of understanding by the authorities in implementing and enforcing Environmental Legislation. Enforcement of environmental protection laws by the government authorities, police, and military is generally not practiced. This is demonstrated in Tanjung regardless of the new Indonesian Environmental Protection Laws of January 1999. Factors of greed, corruption, and power seem to precede laws, justice, and even moral ethics.

During the June 26 Protest and Fact-finding Action, a major Turtle trade Dealer suddenly arrived at the Slaughter house, attempting to cover-up questionable practices and justify the pillage going on there. His efforts to justify the indiscriminate taking and murdering of all and any Sea Turtles with total disregard to size, species , and the laws totally backfired! During the discussion and interview with the dealer, he insisted that he was about to release 3 fin tied young Hawksbill Turtles in compliance with the existing protection laws which include all Hawksbill Turtles . They lay next in line upside-down beside the pile of organs of the newly slaughtered Turtles. The member of Earth Advocates called his bluff, first presenting him with a copy of the 1999 Protection Laws and openly accusing him of lying and law breaking and then challenging him to immediately release the Turtles! The Dealer than stated that the Tanjung operation was exempt from the Protection laws, but did not provide any documentation or evidence to substantiate his claim. The demand for answers and action led to a heated confrontation in which the dejected and disgraced Dealer left the premise without freeing the Turtles. The Indonesian National Television , TVRI, witnessed much of this event as it unfolded. The Report included interviews with the Balinese High Priest. A follow up Studio Interview was conducted four days later, further distinguishing religious truth and myth, and firmly condemning the Trade, Sacrifices and Consumption of the Turtle. Interviews were also held with the Founder of Earth Advocates and with the Turtle Trader, a self acknowledged local government middleman and monitor (the same man disgraced during the action), who defended the trade and denied wrong-doings.
This was the first Indonesian Report of its kind shown on National Television concerning the issues surrounding the Sea Turtle Trade. A major step forward!

Misleading Information and Wasted Money

Friction between the representative of Earth Advocates and the invited WWF observer developed when the WWF member chose to distribute a bulletin containing a graph implying that the total numbers of Sea Turtles caught and slaughtered was decreasing year to year and the this was a result of decreasing populations. The Earth Advocate denounced the WWF bulletin as a statistical farce since little or no accurate monitoring is done to produce such a graph. As we see it, no hard evidence exist to support a correlation between the obvious decline of populations and a decline in the number of Turtles taken in Bali. The WWF's lax approach toward Turtle monitoring does not include daily monitoring of Turtle Trade movement in Tanjung, Bali not to mention the rest of Indonesia, where there exists no monitoring.
Their graphs suggest that since their program started, the numbers of deaths have annually and progressively been reduced in Bali. The Earth Advocates, obviously agree that there are far fewer numbers of Sea Turtles existing within the Archipelago after years of pillage. However in total contrast to the WWF Sea Turtle Project reports, Earth Advocates disagree with the figures being released concerning total numbers killed in Bali and Indonesia each year, and the assumption that total numbers killed is reducing,anually.

Turtle Trade Network, and Increased Consumption

Approximately 500 captive Turtles were within the various pens along the shore line during our June 26 visit, an amount similar compared to previous visits. However as previously mentioned, this time the only difference was that the proportion of non mature Turtles was much higher! Earth Advocates have never witnessed less than approximately 300 Hundred captured Turtles in Tanjung at any given time, and never the same Turtles from week to week, unless the numbers held exceded 600 Turtles the previous week. Those of the previous week are traded and, or, most likely slaughtered. In the on going two year Sea Turtle campaign and investigation by Earth Advocates, it was discovered that the number of Turtles slaughtered had increased or at least remained the same within Bali.
However, as confirmed by reliable Indonesian Ranking Navy sources, the turtle trade outside Bali now operated by an Organized Network had spread throughout the Archipelago during the last years, and resulted in the increased capture and supply of Sea Turtles to many Ethnic Chinese destinations such as Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as Japan. The Navy sources insisted that the Navy was not directly involved with the International Sea Turtle Trade Network, however did admit that their limited knowledge did not exclude the involvement of other government and Military members. Admittedly, the Navy is understaffed, under budgeted and ill equipped to deal with this problem, and also not authorized to deal with illegal or questionable operations involving High ranking officials and their "friends". (See Report: 'The Turtle Trade Connection' May 99 press release by Earth Advocates)
The demand and consumption of SeaTurtles within Bali as the desired food has also been increasing to include almost any ceremony, from new births and weddings, and in fact had spread to areas normally not known as Turtle consuming areas, now sold on the streets as the afternoon Sate or grilled Kabab. Live Turtles are held and Slaughtered in more areas within Bali, other than just Tanjung and the Denpasar Sidakarya Market. This further proving that the non aggressive conservation and environmental protection agencies approaches have generally been ineffective when compared to the aggressive marketing approach of the Turtle Traders and Suppliers.

Conclusion, more change is needed

Earth Advocates realize that the indiscriminate taking of all sizes and forms of the Sea Turtles is a result of many factors stemming from the lack of the Governments ability to implement and enforce laws consistently and effectively, or to accurately monitor laws concerning quotas when required. To achieve the full protection of the Sea Turtles would be a difficult task considering the current state of affairs within Indonesia. We believe that the current changes occurring within Indonesia, as the newly found Democracy, allow for an excellent opportunity and challenge to make a change. However the energy and resources must be used correctly. We believe that a more aggressive approach is needed especially now that the Law supports our interests to save the Sea Turtles.
The passive approach supplying inaccurate and misleading information, is counterproductive to the cause in saving the thousands of Turtles which are killed every month. Another such example of misrepresentation is a recent WWF supplied clip shown on CNN. This clip depicts one groups efforts to protect Sea Turtle egg hatchlings in southwest Bali. This is fine and good. However, no mentioned was made of how many Turtles were slaughtered the same day that video was made! Nor was there a mention of the increased consumption and trade that has been spreading throughout Bali and Indonesia.
We feel such one-sided material is very misleading The 'bottom line' is, all the years and millions of dollars spent to preserve the great Sea Turtles within the Indonesian Archipelago have not and will not help to curb the gross violations occurring daily if the approach and methods are not changed soon. Turtles Hatcheries are of little value when one realizes that once the Turtles are released they face a certain death even before reaching maturity. With the change of the guard at the helm of the WWF's Indonesian Jakarta and Bali offices and hopefully within the Indonesian Government, one can only hope that finally an aggressive, effective and committed campaign will be launched to compliment that of Earth Advocates and save the Ancient Mariner from an otherwise certain extinction.