Hundreds of residents from villages across West Sulawesi staged a protest in front of the provincial governor’s office on Monday, May 6, 2025, calling for a moratorium on mining permits, the revocation of extractive industry licenses, and the halt of all ongoing mining operations threatening their environment and livelihoods.

The demonstration drew villagers from Karossa, Dapurang, Budong-Budong, Kalukku Barat, and Beru-Beru, who expressed anger over rapid expansion of sand mining projects allegedly intended to supply materials for the construction of the new national capital (IKN) in East Kalimantan, as well as for export.

“This is not just about land, it’s about our lives,” Ansar, a resident of Karossa, said in a statement on Monday, May 6, 2025. “Our fishing grounds are disappearing, our mangroves are being destroyed, and yet, we were never consulted.”

One of the companies under fire is PT Alam Sumber Rezeki (ASR), which locals say began testing mining equipment at the Karossa River estuary without meaningful community dialogue.

“The activities caused serious psychological distress among the residents,” Edy Maulana Naro, a legal counsel representing the villagers, said. “Some even had to be hospitalized due to panic over possible home demolitions.”

PT ASR holds a 69.85-hectare concession covering community-owned farmland and mangrove forests restored by the Forestry Agency between 2006 and 2019. Although company documents claim the extracted sand is for local use in Mamuju Tengah and Pasangkayu, its feasibility study reportedly indicates shipments to IKN’s construction zones in Penajam and North Paser.

In Budong-Budong, another firm, PT Yakusa Tolelo Nusantara, is facing resistance for operating near the Budong-Budong River. “We depend entirely on the sea. If the mining continues, we’re the ones who will disappear,” Aco Muliadi, a local resident, said.

Conflict is also escalating in Kalukku Barat, where PT Jaya Pasir Andalan has been accused of seizing traditional fishing zones and riverbanks for sand extraction.

“We sealed their machinery only after they broke the agreement to pause operations,” Sulkarnaum, a local villager, said.

The protests come amid broader allegations that the government is fast-tracking extractive industry expansion by altering spatial planning regulations (RTRW) and zoning maps for coastal areas (RZWP3K), often bypassing community input. Activists accuse both the central and provincial governments of manipulating laws like the 2024 Mining Law and the Job Creation Law to benefit mining companies while sidelining residents.

Tensions reached a boiling point when 21 villagers were criminalized earlier this year − 18 from Mamuju Tengah and 3 from Kalukku Barat − after resisting the companies’ presence. Lawyers argue these charges violate Article 66 of Law No. 32/2009, which protects environmental defenders from criminal prosecution under anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) provisions.

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) later confirmed that PT ASR had no permit for utilizing coastal and marine spaces (PKKPRL), bolstering claims of illegal operations.

Meanwhile, West Sulawesi Governor Suhardi Duka has faced criticism for siding with corporations. He dismissed protestors as “thugs disturbing legal businesses” and refused to meet them during the demonstration, choosing instead to travel to Jakarta. Protesters remained at the site into the night, despite repeated water cannon dispersals.