Jakarta, MINE —Regional Leadership Council (DPD) of the Riau Islands (Kepri) State Asset Research Agency (BAPAN) submitted an official report to investigators from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Wednesday, December 3 2025.
The report concerns alleged illegal bauxite mining practices in Sanggau Regency, West Kalimantan.
The report was made after a series of findings in the field indicated the existence of mining activities without permits and the flow of sales of excavated products to a number of companies in the Riau Islands.
Ahmad Iskandar Tanjung, representative of the Kepri BAPAN DPD, said that this report was important to ensure law enforcement was carried out fairly and transparently. “We reported it because this activity caused large losses to the country,” said Ahmad in Jakarta.
Ahmad said the bauxite mine in Sanggau was suspected of operating without a complete permit for a long time. He said that data received from West Kalimantan showed that mining activities were carried out by PT MKU and PT KBM.
According to Ahmad, the two companies and the purchasing company, PT BAE in Bintan, are under one ownership. “All three are owned by one person named Santoni,” said Ahmad.
He added that no reclamation guarantee data, post-mining evidence or other technical requirements were found. This condition is considered to violate mineral and coal mining regulations.
The reported mine is in Sanggau Regency, West Kalimantan. Meanwhile, the process of allegedly selling mining products was carried out in the Bintan Regency area, Riau Islands.
Ahmad said field findings showed that mining activities were still ongoing until the beginning of this week. “I went straight to Sanggau on Tuesday. The mine is still operating,” he said.
Based on BAPAN’s findings, this activity has been going on for a long time. Ahmad said the alleged illegal operations occurred from 2008 to 2025 and never received firm action. “ESDM data shows there have been no active permits in recent years,” he said.
He said there were no records of mining investment in 2023 to 2025 for the companies concerned. Ahmad assesses that the state’s losses due to mining activities without permits are very large. Potential losses are said to reach hundreds of billions to trillions of rupiah, if you calculate production and operating time span.
He also questioned the attitude of the port authorities in West Kalimantan. “What is the reason why the Harbormaster gave permission to send?” Ahmad asked.
He also highlighted the lack of action from the regional government and local officials. “Where is the West Kalimantan Regional Police Chief? Where is the Governor? This must be answered,” he said.
Ahmad assesses that mining activities without permits have the potential to cause environmental damage and increase the risk of disasters. He mentioned the flood disaster that occurred in the Sumatra region as an example of the impact of forest destruction.
“The trees above the mine will definitely be cut down. The water absorption will be lost. That will trigger a disaster,” said Ahmad.
He emphasized that the community does not want other areas to be affected by similar environmental damage. “We want to protect Indonesia from preventable disasters,” he said.
Ahmad said the report to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources was the first step. His party will send additional reports to several other institutions. “After this, we reported it to the Attorney General’s Task Force and the Presidential Palace,” he said.
He also said that environmental activists at the national level were ready to help. “We are coordinating with many environmental NGOs. They are ready to speak out,” said Ahmad.
If the report is not followed up, Ahmad said he would reveal the findings more widely to the public. “We are ready to open everything. We want law enforcement to continue,” he said.
Appeal to President Prabowo
Ahmad delivered a message directly to President Prabowo Subianto. He asked the central government to monitor the alleged play of powerful actors behind illegal mining operations. “The President said, whoever the general is, act decisively,” said Ahmad.
He hopes that public reports will help the government regulate the mining industry. “We the people support President Prabowo. We only ask that this allegation be followed up,” he said.
BAPAN Kepri’s report has reopened the spotlight on bauxite mining governance in West Kalimantan. Allegations of operations without permits, state losses, and potential environmental damage are serious concerns. Handling of this case is now in the hands of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and other law enforcement agencies.
Ahmad hopes the government will act quickly. “This is not a small mine. This is very big. The state must be present,” he said.
Source: www.tambang.co.id
