Fugitive Illegal Tin Sand Miners Damaged Mangroves In Belitung Arrested

Director General Of Gakkum KLHK Ratio Ridho Sani (left) and Director of Criminal Law Enforcement LHK, Yazid Nurhuda showed the suspect SA (center) illegal miners in the East Belitung mangrove area/ANTARA

The Directorate General of Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Gakkum KLHK) has arrested a fugitive who is a suspect in illegal tin sand mining in the mangrove area of East Belitung Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands after two years on the run.

Director General of Gakkum KLHK Rasio Ridho Sani said SA was arrested in Palembang, West Sumatra on May 6, 2024 after being named a suspect and on the wanted list (DPO) in 2022 in a case of environmental crime in the destruction of mangrove protected areas for illegal tin sand mining in Sukamandi Village, East Belitung.

"We need to act on the crimes committed by SA's brother and several other suspects because they have damaged mangroves, besides they also carry out illegal mining, causing environmental damage," said Director General of Gakkum KLHK Ratio Ridho Sani.

reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, May 15.

The prosecution is part of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry's efforts to support efforts to achieve the target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the forestry sector as stated in Indonesia's FOLU Net Sink 2030.

This is because the potential for mangroves to absorb and store carbon, strengthens the importance of efforts to maintain a mangrove ecosystem and take firm action against those who damage it with illegal activities.

Rasio explained that the SA suspect acted as one of the field coordinators of the mining activities, which was successfully revealed thanks to a report from the KLHK Gakkum intelligence team.

After controlling it in March 2022, the results of the collaboration between the KLHK Gakkum and the TNI and Polri and the East Belitung Regency Environment Agency were successfully secured 45 people including three suspects SA, MR and RA.

The SA suspect, who is currently placed in the Salemba Detention Center in Jakarta, was charged with Article 98 or Article 99 of Law no. 32 of 2009 concerning Environmental Protection and Management for his actions with a maximum imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum fine of IDR 10 million.

"I have ordered the investigators to investigate these parties, because the three of them fled. We also see that if there is no firm action, the threat to the destruction of mangroves in Belitung and other places will get worse," he said.