Forestry Ministry Dismantles Illegal Sugarcane Plantation in UGM Educational Forest, Ngawi

A joint operation by the Ministry of Forestry, the East Java Regional Police Supervisory Corps, the Mobile Brigade, and the East Java High Prosecutor’s Office dismantled an illegal land clearing in the Special Purpose Forest Area for Education and Training at Gadjah Mada University in Pitu District, Ngawi Regency, East Java, on Friday (19/6). Four people have been named as suspects, including a Village Secretary, in the case of opening access to an illegal sugarcane plantation area within the state forest zone. The operation team detained seven people for questioning and seized two excavator units and two dump truck units. Following a case review, investigators named four suspects from two different locations. At the first location in Pitu Village, two people were named as suspects: YM, who is alleged to have acted as the financier and supervisor, and S, who is alleged to be the person responsible for the heavy equipment operations. At the second location in Dumplengan Village, the suspects are M, the Secretary of Ngeblak Village, who allegedly acted as supervisor and financier, and JM, as the person responsible for the heavy equipment operations in the field. Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement Dwi Januanto Nugroho stated that illegal control of forest areas often progresses in stages and such patterns must be broken from the outset. He emphasised that this pattern must be stopped early, especially in a Special Purpose Forest Area that serves as a space for education, training, research, and field learning for students, future foresters, researchers, and parties developing Indonesian forest management. He also appreciated the residents who reported the heavy equipment activity inside the forest area, which triggered the uncovering of this case. Head of the Forestry Law Enforcement Centre for Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara, Aswin Bangun, asserted that the investigation will not stop with the four suspects already named. Investigators are currently probing the origin of the heavy equipment, the parties financing the work, the transportation routes, and the parties receiving or benefiting from the illegal use of the forest area. The suspects are charged under Article 78 of Law Number 41 of 1999 on Forestry as amended by the Job Creation Law, and Article 92 of Law Number 18 of 2013 on the Prevention and Eradication of Forest Destruction. They face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to IDR 7.5 billion.