Court Clears Prosecution of 12 Illegal Tanjung Puting Miners

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian Forestry Ministry are now moving forward with the prosecution of 12 suspects accused of running illegal gold mining operations within Central Kalimantan’s world-renowned Tanjung Puting National Park.

As reported by Antara, this development follows a decisive ruling by the Pangkalan Bun Subdistrict Court. The court rejected a pre-trial motion filed by the suspects to challenge the legality of their arrest and investigation.

The legal battle began when the suspects, identified as HD (45), SEL (27), HT (50), HM (41), KA (46), KE (48), YH (30), JM (43), SY (45), MR (40), SPY (48), and SLA (41), contested the investigative procedures carried out by Civil Servant Investigators (PPNS) from the Kalimantan Forestry Law Enforcement (Gakkum) Agency. Their petition questioned the validity of their status as suspects, as well as the lawfulness of the arrests, detentions, and seizures of evidence conducted during the crackdown.

By dismissing the pre-trial plea, the court has effectively validated the law enforcement process, allowing authorities to maintain momentum in a case that strikes at the heart of Borneo’s biodiversity. The illegal gold mining, known locally as PETI, posed a direct and severe threat to the primary habitat of the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), an endangered species that relies on the integrity of the Tanjung Puting ecosystem.

Speaking from Jakarta on Monday, February 23, 2026, Leonardo Gultom, Head of the Kalimantan Forestry Law Enforcement Agency, emphasized that the ruling reinforces the government’s commitment to environmental justice.

He noted that the successful defense of the investigation was the result of a massive inter-agency effort involving the Tanjung Puting National Park Agency, the Directorate of Special Crimes (Ditreskrimsus), the Central Kalimantan Police’s Mobile Brigade (Sat Brimob), and the High Prosecutor's Office.

"We appreciate the judge's decision, which confirms our investigative procedures. This success is the result of strong synergy between Forestry Gakkum, the Tanjung Puting National Park Agency, the Directorate of Special Crimes, the Central Kalimantan Regional Police Mobile Brigade, and the High Prosecutor's Office. With the rejection of this pre-trial motion, we will immediately hand over the suspects and evidence to the Prosecutor's Office for the sake of justice for our forest conservation," remarked Leonardo Gultom.

With the legal roadblocks removed, the Forestry Ministry is now fast-tracking the transfer of the case files to the judiciary. This move warns illegal syndicates in protected areas that the state will use its full legal power to protect Kalimantan’s "green lungs" and its wildlife. ***