Forest Area Task Force Responds to Police Absence from Defence Ministry Meeting

The Forest Area Control Task Force (Satgas PKH) has spoken out regarding the absence of police elements at a meeting held at the Ministry of Defence office in Jakarta on Monday (13/7). Satgas PKH Spokesperson Barita Simanjuntak confirmed that no police representatives attended the meeting. However, he stated that the meeting was already represented by the presence of steering and executive body members. “I have conveyed that the principle of the organisation is that there is a steering body and an executive body. All are represented within the steering and executive bodies, and the coordination is under the President as the controller through Presidential Regulation Number 5 of 2025. So, the important thing is that we see it as an organisation within the Task Force,” Barita said after the meeting on Monday. Barita stated that the meeting discussed the optimisation, synchronisation, and evaluation of the Task Force’s duties. The meeting also discussed the organisational principles of the Satgas PKH. “The Satgas PKH, under the control of the President, implements supervisory principles as repeatedly conveyed in the President’s directives regarding supervision, governance, control of forest areas, collection of administrative fines, and asset recovery in forest areas, carried out with accountability and principles aimed at ensuring forest area governance for the welfare and interests of the people, the nation, and the state,” he said. Based on Presidential Regulation Number 5 of 2025 concerning Forest Area Control, the Task Force’s Steering Body is chaired by the Minister of Defence, with the Attorney General, the Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, and the Chief of the Indonesian National Police serving as deputy chairs. Meanwhile, the executive body is led by the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) of the Attorney General’s Office. The deputy chairs consist of the Chief of General Staff of the TNI, the Chief of the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) of the Indonesian National Police, and the Deputy for Investigative Supervision of the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP). Based on observations prior to the meeting, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo and Bareskrim Chief Commissioner General Syahardiantono were not seen in attendance.