Parliamentary Member Urges Protection of Lore Lindu Region from Illegal Mining

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Matindas J. Rumambi, a member of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, has called for strengthened protection of the conservation area at Lore Lindu National Park in Central Sulawesi against illegal mining activities.

According to Matindas, such strengthened protection is important because illegal mining has the potential to damage the environment and threaten the safety of surrounding communities.

“Must we wait for casualties like we saw in Sumatra before? Regardless, police must take firm action on this matter,” he said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Matindas reminded that mining activities are already regulated under Law No. 41 of 1999 on Forestry and Law No. 5 of 1990 on Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems.

“The consequences are of course imprisonment and substantial fines. In any case, we must not have casualties,” he stated firmly.

According to him, the region functions not only as a protected forest but has also been designated as a national park, nature reserve, and wildlife sanctuary, and therefore should be treated as a vital state asset.

“This is a state asset protected for long-term strategic interests,” he explained.

For this reason, he believes any form of damage to the region should be viewed as a serious threat to state interests.

He believes the public needs clarity regarding enforcement measures against perpetrators and those suspected of being financial backers behind illegal mining activities.

“I hope the Central Sulawesi Police must be transparent in addressing this. So far, we have not seen transparency from the Central Sulawesi Police regarding enforcement of illegal mining in this region,” he said.

Matindas stressed that law enforcement should not target only mining workers in the field, but must also expose those behind the activities. According to him, if law enforcement is conducted seriously and transparently, the practice of illegal mining that has been damaging the conservation area can be halted.