Ministry of Home Affairs Uncovers Illegal Gold Mine in Bolaang Mongondow Forest, 2 People Are Suspects

Photo: Special

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Forestry has stopped unlicensed gold mining activities (PETI) that are still operating in the Mobungayom Limited Production Forest area, Bolaang Mongondow Regency, North Sulawesi.

In the joint operation, officers secured one excavator unit used for mining and named two people as suspects.

This operation is part of the policy of the Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, who instructed the strengthening of law enforcement to suppress illegal activities in forest areas, including unlicensed mining, which is considered to threaten the sustainability of the ecosystem.

Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, emphasized that law enforcement was carried out not only to stop illegal activities, but also to maintain the function of forest areas.

"Maintaining the sustainability of the forest ecosystem is a shared responsibility. Therefore, the Ministry of Forestry continues to strengthen efforts to prevent, monitor, and enforce laws against any illegal activities in forest areas," said Dwi in his statement, Sunday, July 26.

The enforcement of this case was carried out by the Forestry Law Enforcement Office for Sulawesi Region, the Directorate General of Forestry Law Enforcement (Ditjen Gakkum Kehutanan), after receiving reports from the public regarding alleged illegal gold mining activities in forest areas.

The report was then verified before a joint team consisting of the Regional Forestry Gakkum Office of Sulawesi, the Kotamobagu Police, the TNI, Brimob, and the South Bolaang Mongondow Regional Forestry Police were deployed to the location.

When arriving at the location, officers found that mining activities were still taking place. An excavator was seen dredging material in the forest area, while a number of workers were around the mine area.

The officers then stopped all activities and secured five people at the location, namely MAS as the excavator operator, APM as a helper, SH who was referred to as the person in charge of the activity, RL who supervised, and NM who prepared the workers' logistics.

In addition to securing the five people, officers also seized one excavator which was suspected of being used as a mining facility. The heavy equipment was then removed from the forest area for the purpose of investigation.

Based on the results of the investigation, investigators named MAS as the operator of the heavy equipment and SH as the person in charge of the activity as a suspect.

The investigation is still being developed to uncover the alleged involvement of other parties, including the owner of heavy equipment, financiers, and parties who gave orders.

"Law enforcement is not only aimed at stopping ongoing violations, but also ensuring that forest areas continue to carry out their ecological functions and provide a deterrent effect so that similar crimes do not continue to occur. Collaboration between the government, law enforcement agencies, and the community is the key to maintaining forests sustainable for current and future generations," he explained.

Head of the Regional Forestry Gakkum Office of Sulawesi Ali Bahri said the operation was a follow-up to a report from the community that said illegal mining activities were still using heavy equipment in the forest area.

"This case started from a report from the community which we immediately verified with the relevant authorities. When the team arrived at the location, the excavator was still operating in the forest area so the activity was immediately stopped and the parties at the location were secured. Investigators have named the heavy equipment operator and the person in charge of the activity as suspects. The investigation is still being developed to trace the owner of the equipment, financiers, order givers, and other parties suspected of being involved," said Ali Bahri.

For their actions, the suspects were charged with Article 78 paragraph (3) in conjunction with Article 50 paragraph (2) letter a of Law Number 41 of 1999 concerning Forestry as amended by Law Number 6 of 2023 concerning Job Creation. They are threatened with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of IDR 7.5 billion.