APNI Claims PT Gag And Nickel Mine In Raja Ampat Meet Legal Requirements

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Nickel Mining Association (APNI) emphasized that PT Gag Nickel has met all legal and technical requirements as a mining company that carries out environmentally friendly practices on Gag Island, Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua.

This statement was conveyed by the Secretary General of APNI Meidy Katrin Lengkey following widespread accusations of mining activities in the area.

According to him, PT Gag is a member of APNI who has received various official confessions, ranging from Good Mining Practice to Proper from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

"We have verified. PT Gag is far from the conservation area and has implemented mining rules according to regulations," said Meidy, Tuesday, June 10.

Meidy regretted the narrative that developed on social media, including videos and photos that showed as if there had been severe damage in Raja Ampat. He considered that there was a lot of inaccurate visual information, even suspected to be the result of artificial intelligence manipulation (AI).

"Now it's difficult to distinguish between the original, which one is manipulation. In fact, it's not like what is described on social media," he said.

He also mentioned the incident of environmental activists entering the international conference forum and shouting against environmental damage. Based on APNI's clarification, the figure who claimed to be a Papuan was not from Papua. The shouted person turned out to be a North Sumatran person. This is a form of clashing the issue," he said.

Regarding the revocation of the Mining Business License (IUP) by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources against four companies in Raja Ampat, Meidy said none of them were officially APNI members. His party is still verifying the completeness of the legality of the four companies.

"The four of them are not our members. We are still checking the completeness of the documents. But for sure, PT Gag is not part of them and has been verified for a long time as our member," explained Meidy.

He added that the revocation of the IUP should be a momentum for improving coordination between government institutions. According to him, many companies already have IUPs from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources but other licensing constraints such as Borrowing and Using Forest Area Permits (IPPKH) from the Ministry of Forestry whose quota is limited.

"Sometimes the provinces and the center are also not connected. In the end, entrepreneurs are disadvantaged, the state can lose potential income," he said.

APNI hopes that the government can create a synchronized regulatory ecosystem between agencies and ensure certainty of doing business, without ignoring environmental, social, and governance aspects.

It is known, the government decided to revoke the Mining Business License (IUP) for four mines in Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua. This was decided directly after President Prabowo Subianto summoned several of his ministers to the Palace, such as Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia, Minister of Environment Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni and Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi.

The four companies whose IUPs were revoked include PT Anugerah Surya Pratama, PT Kawei Sejahtera Mining, PT Mulia Raymond Perkasa, and PT Nurham. Meanwhile, the permit for a nickel contract owned by PT Gag Nickel, which is a subsidiary of BUMN Antam, was not revoked by the government.

"And yesterday the President chaired a limited meeting, one of which discussed mining business permits in Raja Ampat. On the President's instructions, he decided that the government would revoke mining permits in four companies in Raja Ampat. Then we Ratas and also from the (Ministry) of Environment also conveyed that in the implementation of the four companies there were violations in the environmental context," said Bahlil Lahadalia at the Presidential Office, Presidential Palace Complex, Central Jakarta, Tuesday, June 10.

Bahlil also said the four mines whose permits were revoked were located in the Raja Ampat geopark or tourist area. The permits of these four companies were issued prior to the implementation of the Raja Ampat Geopark.

"In our opinion, this area must be protected by looking at the sustainability of marine biota. These permits are given before geoparks occur. Meanwhile, the President wants to make Raja Ampat a world tourism," he said.