Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

Development of Resort in Maratua Halted Due to Serious Violations

| | Source: KOMPAS Translated from Indonesian | Regulation
Development of Resort in Maratua Halted Due to Serious Violations
Image: KOMPAS

The Directorate General of Marine and Fisheries Resources Supervision (PSDKP) of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), along with the PSDKP Station in Tarakan, has officially temporarily halted the construction activities of PT Storm Diving Resort. This is a foreign national-owned investment on Maratua Island, Berau Regency, East Kalimantan, on Friday. The halt was implemented after serious violations were found related to the utilisation of marine space without the Approval for Marine Spatial Utilisation Activities (PKKPRL) document. The Director General of PSDKP KKP, Pung Nugroho Saksono, stated that PT Storm Diving Resort was known to have erected buildings over the waters and utilised the beach area without the complete PKKPRL permit. “The PKKPRL document is mandatory for every business that utilises marine space. Of the 16 resorts already operating on Maratua Island, only PT Storm Diving Resort does not have this permit,” said Pung, who is familiarly called Ipunk, while leading the sealing at the location. Maratua Island itself is a small island with an area of about 43.043 square kilometres, which is part of a strategic and sensitive area, so its marine spatial management must follow strict provisions. The sealed resort is said to be a Foreign Direct Investment (PMA) from China. Of the 16 resorts on Maratua, all have met the licensing requirements except PT Storm Diving Resort, which built facilities in marine space without permission. Ipunk emphasised that this illegal construction is an action that will be subject to firm sanctions because it violates marine spatial utilisation rules. “We enforce the law on small and outer islands like Maratua as a manifestation of the state’s presence. We will not tolerate such violations. We raise our red and white flag to affirm that these islands are a legitimate part of the Republic of Indonesia’s territory,” he asserted. “We came directly from Jakarta to show that the state is present here. Thank you to the supervisory community group for the information provided,” he said. PSDKP urges PT Storm Diving Resort to immediately complete all required permits. If not, the government is ready to take further action in the form of dismantling the illegally built facilities. “This is not just a warning, but a full halt. That means all business activities at that location must stop completely. We have handled things like this often; businesspeople should know that building a business requires a series of permitting processes,” Ipunk firmly stated. After the halt action was enforced, PSDKP officers installed a sealing announcement board, reinforced it with cement on the support poles, and raised the red and white flag at the location as an official marker of the cessation of activities.

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