Law Enforcement Against Illegal Mining Is Still Considered Weak

JAKARTA – The operation of hundreds of mines that do not have permits or are illegal in East Kalimantan (Kaltim) is considered to show weak law enforcement. Not only is this detrimental to the state, illegal mining practices also have an impact on the environment and social conditions of society.

This was revealed by legal practitioner Deolipa Yumara in the discussion “Questioning Illegal Mining Law Enforcement in Indonesia” held by the Association of Legal Journalists, Friday (15/3/2024). According to data obtained by the Deolipa Yumara Institute, hundreds of illegal mines in East Kalimantan are operating without any action by the government or law enforcement.

“We received information that there are 200 points (illegal mining) and this is still a small part,” explained Deolipa in the discussion. According to him, illegal coal mining often operates between two legal mines.

According to Deolipa, unlicensed mining operates by utilizing illegal ports. From this port, a barge carrying illegal coal weighing 7,500 tons can generate a profit of IDR 8 billion. In a day, he continued, 15 barges can operate to transport illegal mining products. “The state’s losses could be in the trillions,” he said.

This advocate from the University of Indonesia (UI) said that this illegal mining has an impact on various aspects. Apart from causing state losses and environmental damage, social conflicts also often occur due to the existence of these illegal mines.

Deolipa also highlighted the state’s lack of firm policy in dealing with the illegal mining problem. The state, he said, has indeed made strict regulations regarding mining. However, in practice illegal mining is often left without action.

According to him, one way to overcome the problem of illegal mining is to make it easier to grant business permits. In this way, mining is carried out legally so that it has an impact on state income. “The government can give permission to open legal community mines,” he said.

Likewise, mining law expert Ahmad Redi is of the view that regulations related to mining in Indonesia are good. However, he added, permission to operate a legal mine is not easy for the community to obtain. In this way, he said, collusion between illegal miners and policy makers is often difficult to avoid.

(fjo)