Enviro News Asia, Parigi Moutong – Illegal gold mining activities in the Limited Production Forest (HPT) area in Bolano Lambunu District, Parigi Moutong Regency, Central Sulawesi, were halted by a joint task force.
The operation, carried out on August 5, 2025, resulted in the seizure of two excavators used for mining and the detention of one mining operator.
The shutdown was conducted by a joint team consisting of the Sulawesi Regional Forestry Law Enforcement Agency (Gakkumhut), Palu Region II Section, together with personnel from the Central Sulawesi Provincial Forestry Office, Parigi Moutong Regency Environmental Agency, and elements of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) in Central Sulawesi.
The two confiscated excavators had previously been operated at different sites—Mangipi River and Mandoko River—both located within the limited production forest area under the management of the Dampelas Tinombo Forest Management Unit (KPH).
The team also seized several pieces of equipment supporting illegal mining operations, including one diesel engine, nine 35-liter jerry cans filled with diesel fuel, and one water pump engine.
One field supervisor, identified by the initials H (31), was also arrested at the site. He has been named a suspect and is being held at the Class IIA Palu State Detention Center.
Authorities are currently conducting further investigations to uncover other parties involved. “This action is our rapid response to tackling illegal mining in forest areas,” said Sulawesi Regional Gakkumhut Head Ali Bahri, as quoted in an official statement from the Ministry of Forestry on Wednesday (August 13, 2025).
The Head of the Central Sulawesi Provincial Forestry Office, Muhammad Neng, commended the joint task force’s success in curbing illegal gold mining (PETI) in forest areas.
He noted that several months earlier, a flash flood had occurred at the same location, killing seven people as a result of environmental damage in the area. (*)
