Indonesian Task Force Secures Over 2 Million of Forest Areas and US$587,000 of Fines

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Indonesia's Forest Area Management Task Force handed over to the state administrative fines and tax revenue amounting to Rp10.27 trillion (approximately US$587,000) as well as 2.37 million hectares of forest land that had previously been illegally occupied. The handover was carried out symbolically at the Attorney General’s Office Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

President Prabowo Subianto, in his remarks, expressed appreciation for the task force and related institutions for safeguarding state assets. He said that the handover was not merely a ceremony, but rather "concrete proof" to the people that the government is committed to securing state funds and assets for reuse in the public interest.

"The work carried out by the Forest Area Management Task Force, the Attorney General's Office, the Police, the Indonesian Military, the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP), and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) — all of this. We now prove to the people that we are determined to secure and save the nation's wealth," the President said.

However, Prabowo said there were still state assets worth trillions of rupiah that needed to be recovered. Therefore, he called the task force to save more of the nation's wealth.

"In fact, this is only a small part of the wealth that we have managed to save. The struggle is still difficult; there are still hundreds of trillions... (or even) thousands of trillions that we must save," he said.

In line with this, Indonesian Attorney General ST Burhanuddin, stated that the task force's work is a manifestation of the state's presence in enforcing the law, returning state control over forest areas. He said the enforcement ensures that natural resource management is carried out in an orderly, fair manner, and in the interests of the nation.

"The pile of money in front of us is not merely a ceremonial event, but rather concrete evidence of the Forest Area Management Task Force's performance, which is here to protect national interests through cooperative law enforcement," Burhanuddin said.

The Forest Area Management Task Force was established in February 2025, involving various ministries and law enforcement agencies. The task force has succeeded in reclaiming more than 5.8 million hectares of forest areas in the palm oil plantation sector and more than 12,000 hectares in the mining sector.