Taman Iskandar Muda Community Demands Cancellation of South Andaman Block PoD, Calls Profit Sharing Unfair

Hundreds of Acehnese people, members of the Taman Iskandar Muda (TIM) community, staged a protest in front of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) office in Jakarta on Thursday (25/6). They demanded the cancellation of the approval for the Plan of Development (PoD) I of the Tangkulo Field in the South Andaman Block. The diaspora, migrants, and Acehnese students in Jakarta and surrounding areas believe the PoD, signed by Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia on 9 March 2026, does not favour the interests of the state and the people of Aceh. However, their action ended in disappointment as they failed to meet with Minister Bahlil or any director-general level officials for an audience. The delegation was only received by the ministry’s public relations staff, who were deemed to lack the authority to make policy decisions regarding their demands. “We are very disappointed with the Ministry of ESDM. Their fear of having an audience with the people of Aceh is suspicious, it means something is being covered up,” said Muslim Armas, General Chairman of the Central Board of Taman Iskandar Muda (PPTIM), during the protest. Muslim asserted that if their demands are ignored, they will return with a larger crowd. The action was also attended by Field Coordinator Fakhrullazi Idris Pulo and Acehnese community figures Ghazali Abbas Adan and Saiful Ahmad Adam. In their action, PPTIM presented seven points of a written statement rejecting the approval of PoD I for the Tangkulo Field in the South Andaman Block.