Riau Police Arrest Indigenous Figures Selling Tesso Nilo National Park Land

Riau Police Chief Inspector General Herry Heryyawan/DOK IST

JAKARTA - The Riau Police through the Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation (Ditreskrimsus) arrested a traditional figure, Jas alias Jasman (54), for claiming the Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN) area as customary land and selling it to other parties.

Riau Police Chief Inspector General Herry Heryyawan said the arrest and determination of the suspect against Jasman was carried out Monday, June 23. This step also shows a firm commitment in preserving the conservation area.

The confinement was due to the work of the Riau Police Forest Addition Task Force (PPH) which continues to work in dealing with crimes against the environment.

"There should be no tolerance for anyone who makes conservation areas an object of personal commercialization, even with traditional shields. TNTN is an ecological heritage for future generations that we must protect," said Herry Heryyawan, Monday, June 23.

Inspector General Herry emphasized that his party is not anti-existence of customary rights and traditional structures in Riau, but the state must be present when customary claims are used illegally to damage ecosystems protected by law.

"This is part of our moral and constitutional responsibility. Green Policing is not just taking action, but also building legal and ecological awareness in the community. And we are doing it in Riau," he said.

In addition, the Riau Police Chief also emphasized that his move was a strong warning to anyone who tried to abuse customary status, trade conservation areas, or let the practice of additions occur systematically.

"The state will not lose by manipulation. Unlawned forest, the law that defends it," he said.

Meanwhile, the Director of Criminal Investigation at the Riau Police, Kombes Ade Kuncoro, revealed that the suspect Jasman, who served as the Muncak Rantau Batin in Lubuk Kembang Bunga Village, Ukui District, Pelalawan Regency, is known to have claimed approximately 113,000 hectares of land within the Tesso Nilo National Park area as the right of customary and issued a grant on the land to other parties.

Initially, this case departed from an investigation into forest added activity which was changed to a oil palm plantation.

"We found illegal oil palm land that was guarded by workers, and based on the inspection, it is known that the land belongs to Dedi Yanto, which we have arrested first. He received two land grants of 20 hectares from Jasman, each purchased for Rp. 5 million," said Ade.

During the investigation process, investigators confiscated evidence in the form of a copy of the customary rights map, grant letters, traditional stamps, and traditional structures used by the suspect to convince buyers.

The suspect was charged with Article 40B paragraph (1) letter d of Law Number 32 of 2024 concerning Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Their Ecosystems, as well as Article 55 of the Criminal Code, with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

"We are still investigating whether similar grants have been widely circulated. We will also explore the possible involvement of other parties who have purchased or controlled the land from grants from the suspect," said Ade.