The government’s decision to revoke four nickel mining permits in Raja Ampat has been met with cautious skepticism from environmental watchdog Trend Asia, who called the move insufficient and cosmetic.
While the government officially revoked the licenses of PT Anugerah Surya Pratama, PT Mulia Raymond Perkasa, PT Kawei Sejahtera Mining, and PT Nurham on June 10, 2025, one company − PT Gag Nikel − was allowed to continue operations on Gag Island, a small and ecologically sensitive island within the globally renowned Raja Ampat archipelago.
“This enforcement only came after public outrage. Are we waiting for every mining case on small islands to go viral before we act?” Arko Tarigan, Critical Minerals Campaigner at Trend Asia, said in a statement on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.
“This kind of reactive enforcement is not enough. The government must stop treating environmental destruction as a PR issue. PT Gag Nikel is still operating on a small island protected under Indonesian law,” he added.
Arko emphasized that small islands like Gag are legally protected under Indonesia’s Law No. 27/2007 on the Management of Coastal Areas and Small Islands (WPPK), due to their limited ecological resilience. However, he noted that legal loopholes continue to be exploited, allowing companies to bypass environmental safeguards.
“Small islands must be entirely off-limits to mining, especially when done in the name of investment that only brings harm to local communities,” Arko cited. “President Prabowo must step in to guarantee the survival of all small island ecosystems.”
Trend Asia also raised doubts about whether the permit revocations were permanent or merely temporary appeasement. Past cases, they warned, have shown that revoked licenses are sometimes reissued or replaced under different names, allowing companies to continue illegal or covert operations.
According to data from the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam), at least 35 small islands across Indonesia are currently exploited by 195 mining permits, highlighting that the issue extends far beyond Raja Ampat. Trend Asia is now urging the government to go further by:
* Revoking all mining permits on small islands nationwide.
* Annul outdated or manipulated regional spatial plans (RTRW) and IPPKH forest permits.
* Strengthening the WPPK Law to eliminate legal loopholes that permit mining on ecologically vulnerable islands.
“The president must act decisively and not selectively,” Arko said. “Indonesia’s small islands are running out of time.”
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