Ministry of Forestry Charges 12 Illegal Gold Mining Perpetrators with Prison Sentences at Tanjung Puting National Park

The Ministry of Forestry has charged 12 suspects with illegal gold mining (PETI) at Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan, a habitat for the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), facing prison sentences and substantial fines.

In a statement confirmed from Jakarta on Tuesday, Leonardo Gultom, Head of the Law Enforcement Division (Gakkum) for Forestry in the Kalimantan Region of the Ministry of Forestry, stated that investigations have resumed following the District Court of Pangkalan Bun’s rejection of a pre-trial motion.

“The Central Kalimantan High Prosecutor’s Office has stated that the case files for the 12 suspects are complete and have been submitted to the West Kotawaringin District Prosecutor’s Office for prosecution proceedings,” said Gultom.

The 12 suspects—HD (45), SEL (27), HT (50), HM (41), KA (46), KE (48), YH (30), JM (43), SY (45), MR (40), SPY (48), and SLA (41)—face maximum prison sentences of 15 years and fines of up to Rp10 billion each.

The investigation follows a joint operation conducted at Tanjung Puting National Park in November 2025 by teams from the Tanjung Puting National Park Office (BTNTP), the Kalimantan Regional Law Enforcement Division, the Special Criminal Investigation Directorate, and the Mobile Brigade of the Central Kalimantan Regional Police.

During the joint operation, the 12 perpetrators were caught red-handed conducting illegal gold mining activities within the Tanjung Puting National Park area, which serves as an orangutan habitat. The suspects were secured and transported to Palangka Raya for further investigation.