Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto urged the Forest Area Enforcement (PKH) Task Force to stand firm against lobbying from any party seeking to violate rules, stressing that they have been tasked with defending the people's interests.
"We are on the right and noble path of defending the interests of millions of Indonesians," he told the PKH Task Force at the Attorney General's Office (AGO) complex in Jakarta on Wednesday.
He stated that some rule-breaking companies have illegally controlled forest areas for years.
"This was carried out by parties that are driven by greed, those who dare to insult the state and assume that officials at every level can be bought and bribed," President Prabowo stressed.
He expressed confidence that despite the challenges, obstacles, and hurdles on the ground in their efforts to crack down on rule-breaking businesses, the task force will continue to work with full dedication and remain undeterred.
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The PKH Task Force was officially established in January 2025 under Presidential Regulation Number 5 of 2025, involving various parties, including the AGO and the Ministry of Forestry.
In its organizational structure, the president appointed Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin as chairman of the steering committee, while the Deputy Attorney General for Extraordinary Crimes, Febrie Ardiansyah, was appointed as the task force's executive chairman.
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In his report to the president on Wednesday, Attorney General ST Burhanuddin stated that the PKH Task Force had successfully regained control over 4 million hectares of forest area across six provinces from 124 companies.
The task force also successfully recovered more than Rp6 trillion (around US$358.4 million) in state funds, derived from administrative penalties for forestry regulation violations and the recovery of assets linked to corruption cases.
