Reviewing The Location, The Buru Police Received Illegal Gold Mining Activities On Mount Botak Maluku Zero

The illegal gold mining area on Mount Botak, Buru Island, Maluku was brought under control on Sunday 7 August 2022. (Between-HO-Polda Maluku)

MALUKU - Police confirmed that there were no activities at the illegal gold mining site (pet) on Mount Botak, Namlea, Buru Island, Maluku. This was confirmed after a review at that location.

"During the review, we no longer found any activity at the mining site," said Head of the Buru Regency Resort Police (Kapolres) AKBP Sulastri Sukidjang in a written statement, Monday, June 10, which was confiscated by Antara.

In addition to inspecting the mining area, the Police Chief also checked the security posts and personnel on duty at the Mount Botak mining site in the context of the 2024 Salawaku Petition Operation.

Mining areas reviewed, such as the location of widow ponds, stone mountains, red soil and its surroundings, mining activities are no longer found, unless only used tents have been occupied by illegal miners.

The tents were also immediately dismantled by joint officers involved in the Salawaku Coffin operation, but there were also miners who consciously dismantled their tents, "he said.

The Salawaku Coffin operation was held for seven days, starting from June 3-9, 2024, involving 94 joint personnel from the TNI, Polri and the local Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP).

During the seven days of the Salawaku Coffin operation, said Sulastri, the joint personnel had stopped activities of around 2,000 illegal miners, destroying hundreds of immersions, dompeng machines and tents belonging to illegal miners.

He said the operation was carried out by referring to the way of acting in the field, namely by means of a preemptive and preventive approach to the mining community in Mount Botak and its surroundings.

The police chief explained that on June 3-5, 2024, said the Police Chief, joint personnel carried out a preemptive approach pattern, and June 6-7, 2024, carried out a preventive approach pattern, and on June 8 - 9, 2024, it was applied with a repressive approach or legal action, if the mining community ignored the appeals that had been conveyed by the officers.

However, according to the instructions and directions of the Police Chief, in the implementation of the Salawaku Coffin operation, efforts should not be friction with the community, there should be no violence against the community and continue to strive for humanist steps.