The Ministry of Social Affairs Team Captures a Forest Perambulator in the Elephant Corridor at TWA Seblat

Officers carry out a crackdown on illegal oil palm plantations in the TWA Seblat forest area, Bengkulu, Sunday (19/4/2026) ANTARA/HO-Kemenhut

JAKARTA - The Bentang Alam Seblat Red and White Joint Operation Team from the Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) arrested a perambah of the Seblat Natural Park (TWA) forest area in Bengkulu which is a corridor for the Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus).

Director General of Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Forestry (Gakkum Kemenhut), Dwi Januanto Nugroho explained that the Red and White Operation Team managed to secure the suspect with the initials D, because he illegally owned land to be used as an oil palm plantation in the area which became the elephant corridor.

"TWA Seblat is part of a vital corridor that must be maintained as an ecological fortress. In addition to legal enforcement, we will also rehabilitate damaged land and arrange the boundaries of the working area in cooperation with local governments and conservation agencies," said Dwi Januanto as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, April 30.

The arrest was made when a joint team consisting of the Regional Gakkum Office of the Ministry of Social Affairs of Sumatra, BKSDA Bengkulu, Kerinci Seblat National Park Headquarters (BBTNKS), Bengkulu DLHK, TNI, and Polri carried out a crackdown on the area on April 19, 2026.

During the operation, officers had to face resistance from two unidentified people who attacked the team and damaged three operational vehicles using sharp weapons. Officers managed to cripple D, who is known as the owner of the pondok and oil palm plantation at the location.

Based on sufficient initial evidence and the joint case title of the Bengkulu Police's Criminal Investigation Unit, investigators named D as a suspect on April 20, 2026. He is now being held at the Bengkulu Police Branch Detention House for further legal proceedings.

Suspect D is accused of carrying out activities that are not in accordance with the function of the natural conservation area with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of Rp5 billion.