January 6, 2026 | 03:33 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation of the Indonesian National Police has named suspects for environmental violations in the case of the flash flood in the Garoga Watershed Area (DAS) in North Sumatra. The suspects are from individual and corporate entities.
"It has been determined. Individuals and corporations," said Brigadier General Mohammad Irhamni, Director of Special Criminal Investigation of the National Police, in Langsa, Aceh, on Tuesday, January 6, 2025.
Irhamni did not provide details about the suspects' identities, stating that the National Police would provide more comprehensive information soon.
The National Police designated the suspects after conducting a case review with the Attorney General's Office last week. During the investigation process, the investigators also examined PT Tri Bahtera Srikandi (TBS). The company has four land clearing sites located close to the area affected by the flash flood. The total area of these four sites is 63 hectares, with two of them, covering 36 hectares, situated on the hillside leading to the Garoga Watershed Area.
These two land-clearing sites are suspected of triggering landslides and contributing to the wood logs carried by the flood that subsequently hit residential areas. Investigators have questioned PT TBS and escalated the handling of this case to the investigation stage. The National Police also seized two excavators and one bulldozer found in the land clearing area of PT TBS.
The investigators selected the Garoga Watershed Area as the starting point for law enforcement due to the evidence that the wood logs, suspected to be from negligence, had caused extensive damage to residential areas and resulted in a large number of casualties. A total of 47 people have died, with 22 still missing in the vicinity. More than 50 homes were washed away by the flood, carrying the wood logs.
The investigators charged this case with alleged environmental crimes as regulated in Article 109 in conjunction with Article 98 and Article 99 of Law Number 32 of 2009 concerning Environmental Protection and Management.
Read: Flood and Landslide Threat Continues to Loom Over Agam Regency
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