JAKARTA: An American journalist who has covered stories exposing environmental destruction in Indonesia has been arrested on Borneo island for alleged visa violations, his lawyer and the environmental news outlet he works for said on Wednesday. Philip Jacobson, 30, was first detained in Palangkaraya, the provincial capital of Central Kalimantan in Borneo, on Dec 17 last year, according to a statement from environmental news provider Mongabay. Officials at Indonesia’s Immigration Directorate General did not respond to requests for comment. Under Indonesia’s immigration law, Jacobson could face up to five years in prison. In his role at Mongabay, Jacobson has worked on environmental stories including some containing allegations that companies in Indonesia used falsified permits to clear out a vast area of rainforest in the easternmost region of Papua.

Source: New Strait Times January 22, 2020 11:48 UTC