DPR member calls for strict action against mining investors causing environmental damage

DPR Commission I member Mullyadi has urged law enforcement agencies, supported by the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), to immediately crack down on those financing unlicensed mining activities that damage the environment.

He emphasised that such environmentally harmful practices must not be tolerated. He stated that his request has been relayed to the Defence Minister, TNI Commander-in-Chief, and all military branch chiefs to tackle illegal mines, particularly in West Sumatra.

‘We must see TNI’s role actively implemented to regulate illegal mines that have gone unaddressed for years,’ Mullyadi said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday.

He highlighted the need for cross-institutional intervention and collaboration to regulate illegal mining operations suspected of being backed by corrupt officials. These activities, he noted, have persistently damaged the environment for years.

Mullyadi stressed that police and TNI must not idle and立即 conduct thorough investigations into all information circulating among the public.

‘West Sumatra’s natural wealth and ecosystem must be saved from greedy individuals solely focused on enriching themselves regardless of environmental damage,’ he said.

He added that authorities should priorities eradicating large-scale illegal mining operations using heavy machinery such as excavators, rather than targeting small-scale traditional miners.

‘As long as People’s Mining Areas (WPR) and Community Mining permits (IPR) have not been officially issued, activities by small-scale miners using simple panning tools can be tolerated as they are purely for daily livelihood,’ he said.

‘Those using heavy machinery must be regulated immediately. It is absurd for tens or hundreds of excavators to operate at a single location and be claimed as a community mining operation,’ he added.