Residents Write to President to Oppose Gold Mine in Beutong Ateuh, Aceh
Nagan Raya (ANTARA) - The people of Beutong Ateuh, along with the Pawang Uteun community, Yayasan APEL Green Aceh, and several civil society organisations, have written to President Prabowo Subianto to express their rejection of the planned gold mining in Beutong Ateuh Banggalang, Nagan Raya Regency, Aceh.
The letter was sent as a form of deep concern over the threat of damage to tropical rainforests, the loss of water sources, the destruction of mountain landscapes, and the increased risk of ecological disasters if mining activities are forced into the area that has long served as the community’s living space, said Rahmat Syukur, Director of Yayasan APEL Green Aceh, in a statement received by ANTARA in Nagan Raya, Aceh, on Sunday.
He stated that the letter sent to President Prabowo Subianto and several government institutions is an urgent step for the state to be present in protecting the Beutong Ateuh area from the threat of extractive industrial exploitation, especially given that the Beutong Ateuh area in Nagan Raya has very important ecological value, not only for local communities but also for global environmental balance.
If the gold mine is forced into Beutong Ateuh, the threats that arise are not only deforestation but also water crises, livelihood space conflicts, the loss of community livelihoods, and increased risk of ecological disasters, Syukur said.
He added that the civil society network will continue to monitor the gold mining issue in Beutong Ateuh because such activities should no longer emerge following the Supreme Court Decision Number 91.K/TUN/LH/2020.
The Supreme Court decision is clear. This area should no longer be overshadowed by the threat of gold mining. But today, several permits have re-emerged. This wounds the sense of justice of the Beutong Ateuh community who were affected by flash floods just a few months ago, he said.
When the community is recovering from the disaster, the presence of mining brings new threats. The state should protect the people, not introduce projects that could worsen the damage, he added.
Meanwhile, Ismail from the Pawang Uteun community, as a group of customary forest guardians in Beutong Ateuh, said that the existence of the forest is not merely a landscape but part of the community’s history and identity.
This forest is our ancestral heritage. If the forest is lost, it’s not just trees that are lost, but also history, culture, and the future of our descendants, he said.
In recent days, support for saving the Beutong Ateuh forest has continued to flow from various national and international civil society networks through environmental campaigns and forest salvation petitions that have been supported by tens of thousands of people from various countries.
The community hopes that the President of the Republic of Indonesia, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, and the Aceh Government will immediately take concrete steps by halting all gold mining permits or plans in the Beutong Ateuh area and strengthening protection for the forest that serves as the community’s source of life.
Teungku Diwa, a community figure in Beutong Ateuh Banggalang, Nagan Raya, Aceh, said that the community has long depended on the forest and rivers that are still preserved.
We don’t need mining. The forest is our source of life. If the forest is damaged and the river polluted, the community will be the first victims, he said.
He recalled that the Beutong Ateuh community is still haunted by the trauma of the flash flood that hit the area in November 2024. The disaster damaged residents’ homes, destroyed community gardens, and caused rivers to overflow carrying mud from upstream areas.
According to him, the disaster serves as a real warning that damage to the landscape in the forest area will directly impact community safety.
Just five months ago, the community experienced flash floods. Houses damaged, gardens destroyed, rivers overflowing. We are still trying to recover from the disaster, but now gold mining permits are emerging again. This deeply hurts the Beutong community, he said.