Mining Company Sherly Tjoanda Sanctioned Rp500 Billion, Here's What Forest Enforcement Task Force Says
Indonesia’s Satuan Tugas Penertiban Kawasan Hutan (Forest Enforcement Task Force, Satgas PKH) has commented on reports that PT Karya Wijaya, a mining company owned by North Maluku Governor Sherly Tjoanda, has been handed an administrative fine of Rp500 billion. Task Force Spokesperson Barita Simanjuntak stated that the agency is currently still conducting data collection, investigations, and audits.
“At present, Satgas PKH continues to work gathering data, conducting investigations, inspections, and field audits, including audits for calculating administrative penalties for all illegal activities across forest areas in Indonesia, including North Maluku, using measured, accountable, and transparent systems in accordance with Presidential Regulation 5 of 2025 and other legal provisions,” Barita said on 28 February.
Barita noted that verification processes are still underway and not yet finalised. He stated that the agency is conducting enforcement with careful deliberation.
“Verification is currently in progress and has not yet been finalised regarding alleged violations of forest areas by the Task Force’s field teams,” he said.
Barita stated that Satgas PKH is committed to enforcing and addressing any violations, whilst remaining consistent in protecting every legal business activity in forest areas across Indonesia in accordance with Presidential Regulation 5 of 2025.
Barita confirmed that Satgas PKH is currently working to enforce action against illegal or unlawful forest area management across all forest areas in Indonesia, including North Maluku. He said enforcement is being conducted to regain state control, calculate administrative penalties, and recover assets.
In practice, regaining control is carried out by placing signage indicating that the state has taken control through the task force and providing official notification of control restoration.
“In due course, regularly once completed—such as last month and early this month when we released progress reports on task force performance—we will release the complete and comprehensive progress update around early March next week, as we are currently still in progress,” he concluded.
Previously, according to the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) website, PT Karya Wijaya, a mining company owned by North Maluku Governor Sherly Tjoanda, was handed an administrative fine of Rp500 billion for conducting illegal nickel mining operations covering 51.3 hectares on Gebe Island, Central Halmahera, North Maluku.
The company was also alleged to be operating within forest areas without obtaining Forest Area Use Approval (PPKH), allegedly without reclamation guarantee funds, and was said to have illegally constructed a special terminal.
Beyond PT Karya Wijaya, other mining companies allegedly affiliated with the top official in North Maluku were also sealed by the Task Force, namely PT Indonesia Mas Mulia—a gold mining company located on Bacan Island, South Halmahera. At the same time, Satgas PKH also sealed operations of PT Mineral Trobos (MT), which operates on Gebe Island, North Maluku, for allegedly mining nickel outside permitted areas and within forest zones, with administrative penalties still being calculated.
The Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) assessed that the Satgas PKH action was insufficient, as it only imposed administrative penalties without addressing the root issues, namely conflicts of interest involving public officials, resource plunder in forest areas, and systematic environmental crimes that harm residents and ecosystems.