PALMOILMAGAZINE, PADANG — The Forest Area Enforcement Task Force (Satgas PKH) has officially sealed off 8,133 hectares of illegal oil palm plantations in South Solok Regency, West Sumatra. The land was cultivated by two companies operating outside their legal land-use permits (HGU).
According to M. Rasyid, Head of Legal Information at the West Sumatra Prosecutor’s Office, the area consists of 4,593 hectares planted by PT IMF and 3,540 hectares by PT BRM. The closure was carried out on Saturday (9/8) with the installation of official prohibition signs at the sites.
“We have sealed off the 8,133 hectares with prohibition boards from Satgas PKH,” Rasyid said, as quoted by Palmoilmagazine.com from Kompas on Monday (11/8/2025).
Also Read: Task Force Targets Over 1 Million Hectares of Illegal Oil Palm Land Across 14 Provinces
Satgas PKH is a multi-agency task force comprising the Attorney General’s Office, the West Sumatra Prosecutor’s Office, Solok Selatan District Attorney, the military (TNI), police, Ministry of Agrarian Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Forestry, ATR/BPN, Geospatial Information Agency, BKSDA, and BPKP.
The signs installed on-site carry a strict warning, “It is prohibited to enter forest areas without authorization, damage, loot, steal, embezzle, harvest plants, trade, or take control without approval from the competent authority.”
Rasyid, accompanied by West Sumatra Prosecutor’s Office’s Head of Investigation Lexy Fathurany, explained that the enforcement process began with verifying both registered and unregistered land ownership claims of the two companies. The operation took considerable time, particularly as one of the companies was active across three districts — Sijunjung, Dharmasraya, and South Solok.
“This recovery effort is expected to restore damaged ecosystems and prevent further environmental destruction in the future,” Rasyid emphasized. (P2)
