Forestry Minister refuses issuing forest-lease permit for illegal miners

By Samantha

Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said that his office would not legalize the operation of illegal miners in forest areas following the issuance of the government regulation No. 61, 2012, which allows miners in forest areas to obtain a forest-lease permit.

?It is not about legalizing illegal miners. The forest-lease permit will only be given to miners who have already owned mining permits,? the minister told Petromindo.com.

The government regulation which contains some revisions of the government regulation No 24, 2010 was signed by President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono in July 2012. Under the new regulation, companies which have already operated in forest areas can obtain a forest-lease permit.

Zulkifli said that in order to be able to get forest-lease permit, miners should have a mining permit issued by the local government based on the provincial and regency-level spatial planning made before the issuance of the Law No. 26/2007 on spatial planning.

?If the mining permits were issued after the issuance of the Law No. 26/2007, the miners would not be able to apply for a forest-lease permit,? the Minister added.

Editing by Adianto P. Simamora