Nagan Raya (ANTARA) - The people of Beutong Ateuh, along with the\nPawang Uteun community, Yayasan APEL Green Aceh, and several civil\nsociety organisations, have written to President Prabowo Subianto to\nexpress their rejection of the planned gold mining in Beutong Ateuh\nBanggalang, Nagan Raya Regency, Aceh.<\/p>\n
The letter was sent as a form of deep concern over the threat of\ndamage to tropical rainforests, the loss of water sources, the\ndestruction of mountain landscapes, and the increased risk of ecological\ndisasters if mining activities are forced into the area that has long\nserved as the community\u2019s living space, said Rahmat Syukur, Director of\nYayasan APEL Green Aceh, in a statement received by ANTARA in Nagan\nRaya, Aceh, on Sunday.<\/p>\n
He stated that the letter sent to President Prabowo Subianto and\nseveral government institutions is an urgent step for the state to be\npresent in protecting the Beutong Ateuh area from the threat of\nextractive industrial exploitation, especially given that the Beutong\nAteuh area in Nagan Raya has very important ecological value, not only\nfor local communities but also for global environmental balance.<\/p>\n
If the gold mine is forced into Beutong Ateuh, the threats that arise\nare not only deforestation but also water crises, livelihood space\nconflicts, the loss of community livelihoods, and increased risk of\necological disasters, Syukur said.<\/p>\n
He added that the civil society network will continue to monitor the\ngold mining issue in Beutong Ateuh because such activities should no\nlonger emerge following the Supreme Court Decision Number\n91.K\/TUN\/LH\/2020.<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court decision is clear. This area should no longer be\novershadowed by the threat of gold mining. But today, several permits\nhave re-emerged. This wounds the sense of justice of the Beutong Ateuh\ncommunity who were affected by flash floods just a few months ago, he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
When the community is recovering from the disaster, the presence of\nmining brings new threats. The state should protect the people, not\nintroduce projects that could worsen the damage, he added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ismail from the Pawang Uteun community, as a group of\ncustomary forest guardians in Beutong Ateuh, said that the existence of\nthe forest is not merely a landscape but part of the community\u2019s history\nand identity.<\/p>\n
This forest is our ancestral heritage. If the forest is lost, it\u2019s\nnot just trees that are lost, but also history, culture, and the future\nof our descendants, he said.<\/p>\n
In recent days, support for saving the Beutong Ateuh forest has\ncontinued to flow from various national and international civil society\nnetworks through environmental campaigns and forest salvation petitions\nthat have been supported by tens of thousands of people from various\ncountries.<\/p>\n
The community hopes that the President of the Republic of Indonesia,\nthe Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, and the Aceh Government\nwill immediately take concrete steps by halting all gold mining permits\nor plans in the Beutong Ateuh area and strengthening protection for the\nforest that serves as the community\u2019s source of life.<\/p>\n
Teungku Diwa, a community figure in Beutong Ateuh Banggalang, Nagan\nRaya, Aceh, said that the community has long depended on the forest and\nrivers that are still preserved.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t need mining. The forest is our source of life. If the forest\nis damaged and the river polluted, the community will be the first\nvictims, he said.<\/p>\n
He recalled that the Beutong Ateuh community is still haunted by the\ntrauma of the flash flood that hit the area in November 2024. The\ndisaster damaged residents\u2019 homes, destroyed community gardens, and\ncaused rivers to overflow carrying mud from upstream areas.<\/p>\n
According to him, the disaster serves as a real warning that damage\nto the landscape in the forest area will directly impact community\nsafety.<\/p>\n
Just five months ago, the community experienced flash floods. Houses\ndamaged, gardens destroyed, rivers overflowing. We are still trying to\nrecover from the disaster, but now gold mining permits are emerging\nagain. This deeply hurts the Beutong community, he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/residents-write-to-president-to-oppose-gold-mine-in-beutong-ateuh-aceh-1777830644", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }