PALMOILMAGAZINE, PEKANBARU – The Solidaritas Anak Kemenakan Rokan (SARO) has officially reported YD Dt. Rum and several other parties to the Riau High Prosecutor’s Office (Kejati Riau) and the Forest Area Regulation Task Force (Satgas PKH) on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. This report aligns with President Prabowo Subianto’s vision to enforce Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 5 of 2025 on Forest Area Regulation.
SARO Chairman, Rio Andri, stated that they are reporting the alleged illegal occupation of hundreds of hectares of limited production forests (HPT) and protected forests (HL) by influential figures and business entities. He claims that the deforestation has resulted in significant financial and economic losses for the state.
“We urge Kejati Riau and Satgas PKH to take immediate action and set a strong precedent against forest encroachment in Rokan IV Koto—one of the last remaining forest areas in Rokan Hulu Regency. No one is above the law, and there should be no protection for violators,” Rio stated, as quoted by Palmoilmagazine.com from Riausatu.com on Monday, March 24, 2025.
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In addition to forestry-related offenses, SARO also highlighted potential corruption violations under Article 2, Paragraph 1 of Law No. 20 of 2001 on Corruption Crimes. Rio emphasized the urgent need for law enforcement to prevent further environmental destruction.
SARO also revealed several tactics used by perpetrators to seize forest land, including forged donation letters, fake farmer groups, and misuse of Social Forestry permits in multiple villages within Rokan IV Koto District.
“We have submitted preliminary evidence to Satgas PKH, which has been forwarded to the Riau Provincial Environmental and Forestry Office (DLHK). Additionally, we possess forest maps and photographic evidence of oil palm plantations in the encroached areas,” he explained.
During the submission of their report to DLHK Riau, officials were reportedly shocked to learn that Social Forestry permits had been misused for oil palm plantations, despite clear prohibitions against such activities.
“The permits explicitly state that the land cannot be transferred or converted into oil palm plantations. We strongly suspect collusion in this forest encroachment case in Rokan IV Koto,” Rio concluded.
As of this publication, Kejati Riau and Satgas PKH have yet to issue an official statement regarding their next steps in addressing the report. (P2)
