Government Hands Illegal Nabire Mine to Antam
The government will hand management of a 275.36-hectare gold-mining area in Makimi District, Nabire Regency, Central Papua, to PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (Antam) after the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force (Satgas PKH) has brought the site under control. The move is intended to take over illegal mining activities and ensure the operation is managed by the state. The area was previously held by PT Kristalin Eka Lestari.
The enforcement action forms part of efforts to uphold the law against illegal mining in forest areas. According to reports, the operation was conducted under Presidential Regulation No. 5 of 2025. PT Kristalin Eka Lestari’s Mining Business Licence (IUP) was also revoked through Investment and Downstreaming Minister/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board Decision No. 20261012-01-0001, dated 12 October 2026.
Defence Minister and Satgas PKH Steering Committee Chair Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said action against illegal mining would continue despite challenges and resistance. He stressed that the task force’s work remained grounded in national unity and Presidential Regulation No. 5 of 2025.
“We remain committed to carrying out the PKH’s duties. We are aware that there is considerable resistance, but with national unity, as provided for under Presidential Regulation No. 5 of 2025, God willing, we will resolve everything,” Sjafrie said in a written statement cited on Friday (23 October 2026). He said the regulation provided the legal basis for the task force to continue enforcing rules in forest areas.
Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin said mining land taken over by the state would be handed to a state-owned enterprise (SOE). In this case, the government has appointed Antam to manage the mining area. “We will hand this mine to an SOE, in this case PT Antam. We expect Antam not only to be an investor, but also to act as the operator as well as the investor, so that it is genuinely managed by the state for the prosperity of the people,” he said.
Under this arrangement, Antam is expected to serve as both operator and investor. The government intends to keep the mine under state control and manage it for the benefit of the public.