Mine closure and broader land takeover
The operation in Makimi District was carried out under Presidential Regulation No. 5 of 2025, the Defense Ministry said in a Thursday press release. The closed mine occupies part of a larger area covered by PT Kristalin Eka Lestari's Mining Business License (IUP).
At a press conference in Nabire on October 22, Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin said the license covered 3,500 hectares in Nabire Regency. Revoking it returned control of that entire area to the state, ANTARA News reported.
The license was revoked through Decision Letter No. 20261012-01-0001, issued on October 12, 2026, by the Minister of Investment and Development/Head of BKPM.
Violations behind the license decision
Attorney General's Office official Erich Folanda said a joint Satgas PKH team's field verification preceded the revocation. Inspectors found mining in a production forest without the required Forest Area Use Approval (PPKH).
According to Folanda, the company had also failed to provide reclamation and post-mining guarantees. Its Work Plan and Budget (RKAB) remained under mineral and coal sanction evaluation, ANTARA News reported.
Burhanuddin cited Article 119, letter a, of Law No. 4 of 2009 on Mineral and Coal Mining, as amended, as the legal basis for revoking the IUP. That provision permits revocation when a license holder does not meet its obligations.
State management and community mining plans
Burhanuddin said the mining area would be transferred to state-owned PT Antam. He expressed hope that Antam would operate the mine as well as invest in it, keeping its management in state hands for the public's benefit.
The government is also preparing rules to accommodate small-scale community mining in Nabire Regency, while continuing enforcement against operations that use heavy equipment in violation of the rules.
In his October 22 remarks, Burhanuddin did not detail the proposed regulations, licensing process, eligible areas or requirements for community miners, according to ANTARA News.
The task force's mandate and wider operations
Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, who chairs Satgas PKH, pledged to continue tackling illegal mining despite challenges and significant resistance. He said the work would remain grounded in national unity and Presidential Regulation No. 5 of 2025.
President Prabowo Subianto signed that regulation on January 21, 2025, establishing Satgas PKH. The Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) leads its operational team. Its membership spans 12 ministries and state bodies, including the Forestry, Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning, Energy and Mineral Resources, and Finance ministries, ANTARA News reported.
As of October 2026, the task force said it had collected and deposited approximately Rp52 trillion, or about $2.9 billion, into state coffers since its establishment. It also reported regaining control of more than 6 million hectares of illegal oil palm plantations and tens of thousands of hectares of unauthorized mining sites within state forest zones. Prabowo put the economic value of the reclaimed land at nearly Rp400 trillion, or about $22.3 billion.
The task force's specialized mining unit, Halilintar, uses satellite imagery to identify illegal operations in forest zones. It overlays those findings on official permit maps before field officers verify them on the ground. Around 200 mining companies were undergoing verification as of October 2026.
