Antoni said the initiative was a follow-up to President Prabowo Subianto’s directive issued at a previous meeting and forms part of broader efforts to restore order in the forestry sector.
He emphasized that the revoked permits are spread across various regions in Indonesia and are not limited to the three provinces in Sumatra recently affected by disasters. The initiative has been pursued since February 3, 2025.
Previously, the government had taken enforcement action over approximately 500,000 hectares of forest land. With the addition of the newly revoked permits, a total of about 1.5 million hectares of problematic forest-use areas have been addressed during Subianto’s term so far.
Antoni added that the government is also pursuing legal action through the Forest Area Order Task Force (Satgas PKH), which has handled cases in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, particularly those involving logs carried downstream during flash floods.
Legal measures will be taken against companies involved in illegal logging activities, he said.
“God willing, public concerns regarding the origin of the logs, as well as damage to forests and the environment, will be reported transparently as soon as possible,” he stated.
On a separate occasion, the Forest Area Order Task Force reaffirmed its commitment to taking legal action against parties responsible for flooding in the three Sumatra provinces.
The head of the Forest Area Order Task Force, Febrie Adriansyah, said his team has identified individuals, locations, and alleged crimes involved.
“Not only individuals, but corporations will also be subject to criminal charges,” Adriansyah said.
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Translator: Maria Cicilia, Fathur Rochman, Mecca Yumna
Editor: M Razi Rahman
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
