Bahlil and Defence Minister Sjafrie Take Direct Action to Seize 1,699 Ha of Illegal Mining Land
The government continues to demonstrate firm measures in regulating forest areas and illegal mining activities. This was evident when the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, along with Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, directly visited the site to take over 1,699 hectares of illegal mining land in Murung Raya Regency, Central Kalimantan.
In addition to Defence Minister Sjafrie, Bahlil was accompanied by National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, Attorney General ST Burhanuddin, TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto, and Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni.
Bahlil emphasised that the crackdown on PT Asmin Koalindo Tuhup (AKT)’s mining operations was prompted by the absence of official documents from the company.
He revealed that the company had long ceased operations, making PT AKT’s mining activities unjustifiable. “Indeed, the mining site’s permit status was revoked in 2017,” Bahlil stated, quoted from the official Instagram account of the PKH Task Force on Wednesday (8/4/2026).
According to Bahlil, the revocation nine years ago meant halting the company’s operations. All mining activities continuing in the area to this day are confirmed to be illegal.
“In other words, the mining operations conducted from 2017 until now lack legal validity,” he added.
As is known, the Attorney General’s Office has named Samin Tan as a suspect in the corruption case involving irregularities in the management of PT Asmin Koalindo Tuhup mining in Murung Raya Regency, Central Kalimantan Province, from 2016 to 2025.
The designation was announced by the Attorney General’s Office in a press conference held in front of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes building, Attorney General’s Office complex, South Jakarta, on Saturday (28/3/2026) early WIB. Attendees included Head of the Legal Information Centre Anang Supriatna and Director of Investigations Jampidsus Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi.
“We have designated one suspect, namely ST (Samin Tan),” said Syarief.
According to him, Samin Tan was named a suspect after investigators conducted a series of investigations, including examining witnesses and conducting searches in several areas in West Java, South Kalimantan, DKI Jakarta, and Central Kalimantan.
“And it should be noted that searches are still ongoing, particularly in Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan,” Syarief stated.
He explained that Samin Tan, as the beneficial owner of PT AKP, is a coal miner based on the Coal Mining Business Work Agreement (PKP2B) whose permit was revoked in 2017. However, after the permit revocation, PT AKP continued illegal mining and sales until 2025.
According to Syarief, Samin Tan through PT AKP and its affiliates acted unlawfully by conducting mining and sales using invalid permits, colluding with state officials responsible for supervising mining activities, thereby harming state finances and/or the national economy.
“As for the amount of state financial losses, it is still being calculated by the audit team from BPKP (Financial and Development Supervisory Agency),” Syarief said.