Bangka Belitung, MINA – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has instructed all law enforcement agencies to expand efforts to crack down on illegal mining practices across Indonesia to safeguard trillions of rupiah in state assets.
The directive was delivered by the Head of State during a doorstop interview in Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Belitung Islands, on Monday. His remarks came on the sidelines of an event where state-confiscated assets from an illegal mining case were handed over to PT Timah Tbk in Pangkal Pinang.
“This is a proud achievement, and we must continue it. The Attorney General, the TNI Commander, Customs, and the Maritime Security Agency—keep going. We must save the nation’s wealth for our people,” the President stated.
The confiscated assets include six smelter units belonging to PT Tinindo Internusa, valued between Rp6 trillion and Rp7 trillion (approx. $365 million to $427 million USD). These were among the assets seized by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) in the alleged corruption case involving the tin trade, which is estimated to have caused Rp300 trillion (approx. $18.3 billion USD) in state losses.
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Other refining plants seized by the AGO include PT Stanindo Inti Perkasa (SIP) in Pangkal Pinang, PT Venus Inti Perkasa in Pangkal Pinang, PT Sariwiguna Bina Sentosa in Pangkal Pinang, and PT Refined Bangka Tin (RBT) in Bangka Regency.
The President hailed this success as a joint achievement between law enforcement and the state defense apparatus.
Prabowo affirmed that similar operations will continue in other regions to ensure Indonesia’s natural resource wealth is genuinely managed for the greatest prosperity of the people.
“This is proof that the government is serious and determined to eradicate smuggling, eradicate illegal mining, and eradicate all those who violate the law,” he said.
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In a separate instance earlier in September, the President had ordered the TNI, Polri, and Customs to conduct a massive operation in Bangka Belitung aimed at closing routes long used as loopholes for tin smuggling.
“Almost 80 percent of the tin output is smuggled out every year,” the President revealed.
The illegally mined material was being smuggled using various forms of transport, from large ships to small canoes.
“We are closing it. The smuggling methods were varied—some used ships, some used ferries. Now, it’s closed; nothing can get out, not even a canoe,” he emphasized.
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The Head of State estimated that the continuous and expanded crackdown on illegal mining could potentially save up to Rp22 trillion (approx. $1.34 billion USD) in state funds by the end of the year. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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