Bali Police Name 5 Suspects For Melasti Beach Reclamation For Beach Club

Head Of Public Relations Of The Bali Police, Kombes Stefanus Satake Bayu Setianto/ANTARA/Rolandus Nampu

DENPASAR - Investigators from the General Criminal Investigation Directorate (Ditreskrimum) of the Bali Regional Police have named five suspects in the Melasti Beach reclamation case in Ungasan, South Kuta District, Badung Regency.

Head of Public Relations of the Bali Police, Kombes Stefanus Satake Bayu Setianto, said the five people were made suspects based on the results of the case title on May 26, 20239 from the 338/2022 police report reported on June 28, 2022.

"From the results of the case title conducted on Friday, May 26, 2023, where the status of the perpetrator was raised as a suspect. So from the title of the case, it has been concluded that the previously reported suspect," said Satake Bayu as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, May 29.

The five people who have been named as suspects are GMK (58), MS (52) IWDA (52) as the Ungasan Indigenous Village, KG (62), and T (64). According to Satake Bayu's statement from the five suspects, the two suspects acted as granters of permits and three other suspects helped the illegal reclamation process.

Satake said that overall the area of land planned to be used as a place for the "beach club" reached 2.2 hectares according to measurements from BPN Badung Regency.

Based on the initial plan, the land was intended for a group of fishermen from Ungasan, Badung, for fish shelters. However, then there are plans for the formation of a "beach club".

"According to the agreement made at the beginning with the fishing group, one of the points of the agreement is the plan to establish a 'beach club'," Satake said.

However, the plan has not been executed because on June 20, 2022, the Badung Regency Satpol PP with Letter No. 1/546/Satpol PP, carried out the task of checking the coastal areas of Melasti Beach, Ungasan Village, South Kuta District, Badung Regency.

From the results of these checks, officers found limestone mounds that entered the waters of Melasti Beach, and found that there was a dredging of cliffs in the area which was suspected to be reclamation.

After being traced, officers found that at the location it was known who was working on and controlling during the Melasti Beach reclamation project at that time was Made Sukalama as President Director of PT. Tebing

Mas Estate is based on the Deed of Appointment and Cooperation Agreement No. 04 dated 27 May 2020.

Satake revealed that working on the backfilling of Melasti Beach and dredging of cliffs did not have a permit as regulated by Government Regulations and Laws. Even though the dredging process started in February 2018.

After knowing that the construction of the Melasti Beach reclamation project was suspected to be illegal, the Bali Police intervened to conduct an investigation and collect a number of evidence in the form of photos both in the coastal waters of Melasti Beach which were dredged and photocopies, photos of satellite images 2018 and 2020 from BPN Badung Regency, as well as information from 30 witnesses.

The 30 witnesses came from different agencies within the Badung Regency and Bali Province Government which included Satpol PP, PUPR Service, Fisheries Service, fishermen groups including local residents, PT Tebing Mas Estate manager, Bali Provincial Maritime and Fisheries Service, Bali Provincial Environmental Service, PT Tebing Mas Estate commissioner, and the Bali Province Investment and One Stop Integrated Service.

Currently, said Satake, investigators from Sub-Directorate II of the Bali Police Ditreskrimum have not arrested the five suspects because the sentence is under five years.

Satake also revealed that there may be other suspects because during the investigation process it is still ongoing. The flow of funds from the illegal project is still being investigated by Bali Police investigators.