Legal Practitioners Call Hundreds Of Mines Allegedly Illegal In East Kalimantan Can Make The State Lose Trillions Of Rupiah

Legal practitioner Deolipa Yumara (center)/PHOTO: Wardhany Tsa Tsia-VOI

JAKARTA - Hundreds of mines suspected of being illegal are still operating in the East Kalimantan (Kaltim) area. The government and law enforcement officials are considered not to have taken any action even though this activity has the potential to harm the state.

This was conveyed by a legal practitioner, Deolipa Yumara, in a discussion entitled 'Regarding the Illegal Law Enforcement Minning in Indonesia'. He claimed to have pocketed data from the illegal mining figures he called.

"We got information that there are 200 points (illegal mines, ed) and this is still a small part," said Deolipa during an activity held in the Kemang area, South Jakarta, Friday, March 15.

Illegal mines usually exist between two mines that have a permit. As for transportation, it usually uses a legal port.

For one transportation in a legal mine, one barge can carry 7,500 tons of mining commodities or Rp. 8 billion. This potential then causes state losses, said Deolipa.

Moreover, in one day it could be more than 15 barges operating to transport the illegal mining products. "The state's losses could be trillions," he said.

In addition, Deolipa explained that there were many losses that could be caused by illegal mining. Among them is environmental damage to social conflicts.

However, the local government still seems to be turning a blind eye to this problem. "But the permit is from the center, so what are we (local government, red) doing to supervise," he said.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Redi, who is an expert in mining law, said that the existing regulations were actually good. However, licensing is not easily obtained by the community, causing bad consensus to occur.

Including, it is not uncommon for people to choose to operate illegal mines because they are considered more concise. "In terms of norms, articles on the Mineral and Coal Law if he (the miner, red) uses it illegally, then the law is clear," concluded Redi.