November 24, 2025 | 10:05 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Head of the Indonesian National Military (TNI) Information Center, Major General Freddy Ardianzah, has clarified the military's role in combating illegal mining, asserting that the TNI's involvement is legally justified.
"First, it is President Prabowo Subianto's order," he said when met at the DPR/MPR complex in Jakarta on Monday, November 24, 2025.
Freddy explained that the President's directive is formalized in Presidential Regulation Number 5 of 2025 concerning the Enforcement of Forest Areas, which stipulates collaboration between the TNI and law enforcement agencies.
He emphasized that the military's role in the illegal mining areas is unrelated to traditional law enforcement, which remains the constitutional authority of the prosecutor's office.
"The TNI carries out enforcement and security (of illegal mines)," said Freddy, differentiating their action from judicial processes.
The statement follows a recent high-profile action where Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto directly inspected two illegal tin mine locations in Central Bangka Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands, accompanied by a number of armed military personnel.
Civil Society Criticism
The TNI's direct involvement has drawn sharp criticism from civil society organizations. Imparsial Director Ardi Manto assessed the action as a disproportionate use of military force in a law enforcement context.
Ardi Manto argued that operations against illegal mining are part of law enforcement, falling under the authority of the Prosecutor's Office and the National Police.
"The TNI is not a law enforcement agency, but a national defense tool that should focus on the threat of war," said Ardi in a written statement on Sunday, November 23, 2025.
He cited Article 11, verse 2 of Presidential Regulation Number 5 of 2025, which defines the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force as a law enforcement body. Since the actions taken by the task force are not defense matters, Ardi stated, "The involvement of the TNI in this task force is a serious deviation."
He concluded that this practice risks abuse of power and weakens accountability in military enforcement operations, potentially threatening the safety of civilian residents, especially "considering that illegal miners are not combatants or armed groups."
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