Attorney General Highlights Environmental Damage In Bangka Belitung

Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin gave a briefing during a working visit to the jurisdiction of the Bangka Belitung High Prosecutor's Office, Wednesday (27/7/2022). PHOTO VIA BETWEEN

JAKARTA - Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin highlighted the environmental damage in Bangka Belitung Province and asked his staff to evaluate the law enforcement that has been carried out so far, preventing inappropriate regulations, especially related to the rise of illegal mining.

"I have highlighted several issues related to environmental damage, so from a law enforcement perspective, we must immediately carry out introspection on law enforcement that has been carried out so far, to evaluate whether the regulations have been implemented properly," said Burhanuddin, in a written statement quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, July 27.

Bangka Belitung is known for its natural wealth of tin, as written by the Governor of the Dutch East Indies, Thomas Stamford Raffles, "This is the richest tin place that has no equal in the world, the whole island will become a big tin mine".

However, the current condition of Bangka Belitung has lost its productive land area of 320,760 hectares within 10 years. As a result, the ecological function of the environment continues to be disturbed and its sustainability is threatened. Other impacts such as natural disasters, floods, and environmental damage cannot be avoided.

"The rise of illegal mining and mining that does not comply with regulations has damaged the environment and the existing ecosystem, so it is not impossible that our children and grandchildren will bear the consequences for what we are doing today to the environment," he said.

For this reason, Burhanuddin ordered his staff to look at every existing regulation, so that it would provide a more deterrent effect to perpetrators of environmental destruction, as well as restore environmental sustainability.

He stated that in the Mineral and Coal Mining Law there are additional penalties in the form of confiscation of profits obtained from criminal acts, and or the obligation to pay costs incurred as a result of criminal acts. This is very important to implement, so that there is juridical pressure for the actors to be responsible for restoring the natural state as before.

Burhanuddin also asked asintel (intelligence assistant) and intelligence officers (intelligence) to prevent potential state losses from exporting prohibited B3 waste from mining activities. Likewise for the ranks of the Special Crimes Division to take legal action if there are indications of the involvement of officers or officials in the crime, as well as pay attention to leaks or potential losses to the state from any mining activities that take place.

"In terms of education, I ask the intelligence services to be more active in socializing to the public how important it is to preserve nature, as well as the legal consequences if you continue to carry out illegal mining," he said.

Then to the prosecutor who was assigned to Bangka Belitung, Burhanuddin assigned him to be able to carry out his duties properly in protecting the country's natural wealth, if there were deviations, and if it could be used as a special crime / corruption handling, then law enforcement was immediately carried out.

In the Civil and State Administration (Datun) Sector, Burhanuddin asked to establish communication with the local government to inform that the government agency or local government is in fact authorized to file a claim for compensation, or certain actions against businesses, or activities that result in environmental losses.

"I believe that solidity and collaboration between fields will provide the maximum deterrent effect, as well as preserve nature, because proper law enforcement is an effort to minimize the gap in state losses, and break the chain of environmental damage," said Burhanuddin.

This briefing was delivered by Burhanuddin during a working visit to the jurisdiction of the Bangka Belitung High Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday, attended by the Head of the Bangka Belitung High Prosecutor's Office and the Deputy Head of the Bangka Belitung High Prosecutor's Office along with their ranks, Head of the Legal Information Center, General Assistant to the Attorney General, Special Assistant to the Attorney General, and the head of the state attorney's office and the ranks in the jurisdiction of the Bangka Belitung High Prosecutor's Office.