Bersinar Selumit Pantai Village Starts to Redup, Drug Trafficking Returns to 3 Last Months

TARAKAN - The Clean Drugs or Shining Village Program in Selumit Pantai Village in the Central Tarakan District, Tarakan City, North Kalimantan (Kaltara) is slowly starting to dim. The reason is that drug dealers are suspected of being active again in the area.

Ironically, this Selumit Pantai area has been declared by the National Narcotics Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (BNN RI) and the Kaltara Police as a Shining Village at the beginning of 2025.

The head of Selumit Pantai Village, Andi Arfan, said that at the beginning of the implementation of the program, the circulation of drugs had significantly decreased.

"However, recently this program has started to dim, the public is again restless because drug trafficking activities have occurred again. They spread to other places, then those here are back in action," said Andi Arfan, Thursday, December 18.

He also highlighted the reduced intensity of coaching activities. If previously there were routine activities up to three times a week, now only one time.

"If in the past the coaching activities could be three times a week, now it's only once. Community empowerment, including MSMEs, is also starting to dim," he explained.

He explained that Selumit Pantai Village actually had two monitoring posts, each behind the Fortune Hotel and in RT 13. However, until now, the post has not been optimally functioned because there is no guard.

"There are two posts, but there is no guard. If it is used as a kamling post by civilians, we are afraid it will be misused," he said.

Complaints from residents regarding the circulation of drugs continue to come to the village. In fact, residents conveyed that there were new locations that were suspected to be places of transaction.

"There are residents, including mothers, who come to the village to express their concerns. There is a large circulation again, there are even new places, new holes in some places," he said.

Lurah Andi estimated that drug circulation had resurged in the last two to three months. As a result, positive activities for children have also decreased significantly.

"Previously, children who participated in activities could be up to 120 people. Now there are only about 20 to 30. Previously, 100 were active, now maybe only 10," he said.

In fact, previously, children began to actively participate in religious activities such as learning the Qur'an at mosques and Qur'an education parks, as well as routinely performing prayers.

Andi added that the majority of Selumit Pantai residents work as fishermen, traders, and casual workers, so they are considered vulnerable to the influence of the surrounding environment.

"We hope that the guard post will be reactivated and the training will run as before. This Bersinar Village must be completely clear and clean from drugs," he concluded.

Previously, in an effort to eradicate the circulation of drugs, the Kaltara Police together with related institutions officially launched the Free Drug Village program in the Selumit Pantai area, Tarakan City, the then Kaltara Police Chief was jabat by Inspector General of Police. Hary Sudwijanto.

Then, Selumit Pantai Village was also declared a Clean Drug Village by the Head of the BNN RI, Inspector General of Police. Marthinus Hukom during his visit to Kaltara on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.