Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto instructed all law enforcement officials to expand efforts to curb illegal mining practices in order to protect state assets worth trillions of rupiah.
He conveyed this during the handover of confiscated state assets from an illegal mining case to PT Timah Tbk in Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Belitung, on Monday.
"This is quite an achievement, so we will continue it. The Attorney General, the TNI Commander, Customs and Excise, and the Maritime Security Agency, please continue. We are saving state assets for our people," he remarked.
The confiscated assets include six smelters belonging to PT Tinindo Internusa, valued at Rp6 trillion-7 trillion (US$350-409 million). These are among the assets seized by the Attorney General's Office in an alleged corruption case involving the tin trade, with estimated state losses of Rp300 trillion (US$17,5 billion).
The refining plants seized by the Attorney General's Office include PT Stanindo Inti Perkasa (SIP), PT Venus Inti Perkasa, PT Sariwiguna Bina Sentosa in Pangkal Pinang, and PT Tefind Bangka Tin (RBT) in Bangka District.
According to the head of state, this success is a joint effort between law enforcement and the defense apparatus.
Prabowo emphasized that similar operations will continue in other regions to ensure that Indonesia's natural resource wealth is properly managed for the prosperity of the people. "This is a form of our commitment to eradicating smuggling, illegal mining, and law violations," he continued.
Earlier in September, Prabowo ordered the National Police, the TNI, and Customs and Excise to conduct a large-scale operation in Bangka Belitung to shut down routes long used for tin smuggling. "Almost 80 percent of tin production is smuggled every year," the president noted.
According to him, the tin is being smuggled using ships and canoes. "We've shut down various smuggling operations, some using ships, some using ferries. Now they are closed, and they cannot leave," he said.
Based on his estimation, the efforts in eradicating illegal mining can save the state money up to Rp22 trillion (US$1,2 billion) by the end of the year.
