JAKARTA - The Minister of State Secretary (Mensesneg) Prasetyo Hadi stated that the government would not stand idly by against illegal loggers so that the Ministry of Forestry would re-audit forest utilization permits such as HPH and IUPHHK-HTI which were given to 24 companies.
Pras, Prasetyo's popular nickname, explained that the audit was carried out to ensure that companies that were given permission to use forests in Sumatra by the state did not violate the rules, including not logging, which is believed to have exacerbated the impact of flash floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
"Of course we don't want to stay silent, that's why, we have conveyed that the Ministry of Forestry is currently conducting a review, audit, in approximately 24 companies that have received forest area management permits, both HPH and HTI. This is in order for us to want to enforce, want to see if there are activities that should not be," said Pras when answering a reporter's question when he was met in Jakarta, Monday, December 29, as quoted from a broadcast received, Tuesday, December 30, quoted by Antara.
Pras continued that not only targeting corporations, the government is currently also trying to increase education to the public, considering that illegal logging perpetrators are not only companies but also individuals.
"We also have to deal with personal matters. This needs education, yes, cross-sectoral as well," said Pras.
A number of experts and environmental activists assess that the severity of the impact of flash floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra is not only due to extreme weather phenomena, but also due to illegal logging that has occurred for years in the forests of Sumatra. The assessment emerged, among others, because the large-sized logs with neat pieces were carried away by flash floods and surrounded settlements and main roads.
Flash floods and landslides hit a number of cities and districts in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra last month on November 25.
causing thousands more people to die, hundreds of people missing, and tens of thousands of houses damaged. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that as of December 29, 2025, the number of fatalities reached 1,140 people, while the number of people reported missing was 163 people, and the number of refugees was 399,200 people.
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