Fleeing to the Forest, Awaiting Justice

KOMPAS/IRMA TAMBUNAN

Illegal gold mining destroys river ecosystems in Bungo District, Jambi Province. Serious law enforcement is needed to end environmental damage. A citizen witnessed the destruction of the environment in the Pelepat River ecosystem, Bungo, Tuesday (07/07/2020)

Sofia gets sad every time she thinks about her youngest son Aska. She has spent the past two months in a jail. Even today, she has no idea when she can go home and be with her 4-year-old again.

“Our fate remains unclear,” said Sofia on Monday (6/7/2020).

In mid-May, Sofia was picked up by several personnel from the Bungo police precinct in Jambi. At the time, she was preparing a breaking-of-the-fast meal with her family at home. Suddenly, several police personnel came to her front door and shouted her name. She was soon taken outside as her youngest son cried. Just like that, she was separated from her son.

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At the same time, similar arrests took place at houses in Batu Kerbau hamlet, Pelepat district, Bungo regency, Jambi. Of the 16 arrestees, 10 were housewives.

The incident caused panic among locals. All night long, they were overwhelmed by the fear of getting arrested.

The panic pushed some locals to flee to the forest. The incident left them traumatized, despite them not knowing what crimes they had committed. For a week, locals lived in a forest, bringing whatever food was available. Soon enough, many, especially children, starved.

The incident caused panic among locals. All night long, they were overwhelmed by the fear of getting arrested.

Apparently, reports of an entire village’s exodus to avoid authorities reached Bungo regent Mashuri. He then requested village authorities to bring them home. This was not successful as many of the villagers were already traumatized.

After several failures in ensuring the villagers that they should not fear, Mashuri intervened directly in urging them to come home. He promised to order the local police to stop the arrests. Hearing that, the villagers were relieved. Soon afterwards, they returned to their village.

Mashuri said he regretted the incident. However, he was still worried as he could not do much to reduce tension. He said that he had met with Bungo police precinct chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Trisaksono Puspo Aji to talk about delaying the arrest of the women of Batu Kerbau. The police, however, would not budge. “I have tried,” Mashuri said.

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KOMPAS/IRMA TAMBUNAN

Illegal gold mining damages the river ecosystem in the Pelepat River ecosystem, Bungo Regency, Jambi Province, Tuesday (07/07/2020).

Muddy waters

The women of Batu Kerbau village were arrested in an illegal gold mine case. At the beginning, locals complained that the water of Pelepat River suddenly got muddy. Even after one or two days, the water remained muddy. People were concerned as the river, their major source of water for daily life, had been polluted.

Worried that the river was polluted by illegal mining activities in the upstream, locals then combed the forest. They found dozens of heavy machinery clawing on cliffs in search of gold.

The cliffs slid and their sediments were carried by the river. This was the reason why the river got muddy.

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The pollution drove fish away from the villagers’ lubuk larangan, the sacred reservoir where fishing is prohibited. “The fish went away as they could not stand the polluted water,” said Datuk Picak, Batu Kerbau’s Malay customary body chief.

News spread quickly and locals then reported the case. They asked the authorities and the regent to intervene. They even informed them of members of the authorities who allegedly back the illegal mining, enabling it to take place freely in a state forest.

The authorities soon followed up the report and combed locals alleged to be illegal miners and heavy machinery operators.

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This led to commotion in the village. Everyone gathered to find out what happened, including the women.

KOMPAS/IRMA TAMBUNAN

The condition of Lubuk Larangan is damaged due to the massive gold mining in the Batang Bungo ecosystem in Bungo Regency, Jambi Province, Sunday (7/7/2020).

As the night grew, tension rose, especially once locals found out that several villagers were arrested during the raid. They found out then that those villagers worked as laborers in one of the illegal mines.

Tension peaked in the dark night and then there was violence. Police personnel were injured in an incident.

In the dark, no one knew what exactly happened and who did what. What was certain was that, three days later, more than a dozen housewives in the villages were taken to the Bungo police precinct. After statements were collected, 10 of the women were still detained today.

“We still have no idea what we did wrong that we have to be detained this long,” Batu Kerbau villager Fitriwati cried. She was at the Bungo Penitentiary.

No delays

Bungo Police chief Puspo Aji said that the housewives were detained for alleged obstruction of police work and vandalism. They are charged with Articles 214 sub-article 170 of the Criminal Code and/or Article 160 juncto Article 55 of the Criminal Code. Currently, the police has submitted their case files to the Muara Bungo state prosecutors’ office.

In the investigation, Puspo Aji ensured that there was no arrest delays. “There is no delay and everyone is processed [before the law],” he said.

KOMPAS/IRMA TAMBUNAN

Illegal gold mining damages the river ecosystem in the Pelepat River ecosystem, Bungo Regency, Jambi Province, Tuesday (07/07/2020).

Puspo said that the police had not turned a blind eye on illegal mining in the local forest. The case occurs in two regions, namely Bungo and Merangin regencies. The police is processing the illegal mining case in Bungo. Four suspects are being processed with two excavators as evidence.

Bungo Green Awareness Forum head Hasan Ibrahim said that law enforcement should prioritize investigating the illegal gold mining with heavy machinery. He said that he hoped all major perpetrators in the illegal mining be processed legally as their activity had harmed the environment.

Jambi branch director for the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), Rudiansyah, said that villagers could not possibly carry out illegal mining with dozens of excavators on their own. An investor should be behind the activity. Rudiansyah said that Walhi suspected old players to be behind the illegal mining. “Everyone in the chain belongs to a network that also operated in a neighboring region earlier,” he said.

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These people collaborated in supplying and overseeing the transport of heavy machinery used in the mining, supplying fuel and depositing mined gold.

Rudiansyah said that he regretted the lack of seriousness in the law enforcement to investigate this. This can be seen in their swift actions when dealing with the small people. However, what about progress in hunting down the real actors behind the illegal gold mine?

The state must be firm and serious in addressing this problem. Sofia, Fitriwati and other housewives and villagers are hoping for justice.