TEMPO.CO, Samarinda - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) through the Environmental and Forestry Law Enforcement arrested 11 people suspected of committing illegal mining in the new capital areas in East Kalimantan, on March 21.

After an in-depth investigation, three of them were named suspects and detained at Tenggarong Police’s detainment center.

“So at midnight, March 21, we have managed to arrest perpetrators of illegal mining in the new capital areas in Hutan Raya Park (Tahura) Bukit Soeharto, Samboja District, Kutai Kartanegara Regency,” said the Director-General Rasio Ridho Sani in a press conference in the ministry’s Gakkum hall in Samarinda, Thursday, March 24.

Rasio Sani explained three people were named suspects: M (60) as the field coordinator, ES (38), and E (34) as the operators of heavy equipment.

They are possibly charged with Article 89 (1b and/or a) in conjunction with Article 17 (1a and/or b) of Law No. 18 of 2013 concerning the prevention and eradication of forest destruction, in conjunction with Article 37 (5) of Law No. 11 of 2020 on job creation. They might face a penalty of 15 years imprisonment at maximum and a fine of Rp10 billion.

The DG also seized pieces of evidence, namely two units of yellow excavator, one blue batik note book, two blue note books, one brown batik motif notebook, one green dump truck with the plate number KT 8713 OS green, and one bag of coal samples.

Rasio Sani emphasized that his side urged further investigation to disclose other parties involved in the illegal mining activities, starting from investors to people who received the benefit from the illegal practice.

Read: Illegal mining Threatens new Capital City Development

SAPRI MAULANA