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View all search resultsGovt vows stricter oversight as Gag Nikel restarts Raja Ampat mine
The company at the center of the controversial mining activities in Raja Ampat had resumed operations on Sept. 3, the environment minister revealed on Sunday, promising to increase the frequency of assessments from six months to two months to accommodate any necessary mitigation measures.
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A broad swath of bulldozed earth encroaches on a forest area on Dec. 22, 2024, at an open-pit mine on Gag Island in Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua, in this handout picture released by conservation nonprofit Auriga Nusantara on Jan. 31, 2025. (AFP/Auriga Nusantara)
T
he government has vowed to implement stricter environmental oversight following its decision to allow mining company PT Gag Nikel to resume its operations in Raja Ampat, despite strong public opposition against the controversial project over concerns about damage to the ecosystem.
The regency is named for the Raja Ampat archipelago, a cluster of small islands and shoals in Southwest Papua that sits in the Coral Triangle and hosts some of the world's most pristine reefs, its clear blue waters making it a popular diving spot and a marine tourism haven.
Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said President Prabowo Subianto had instructed him to carry out more frequent environmental auditing of Gag Nikel, a subsidiary of state-owned mining company Aneka Tambang (Antam).
“If we previously conducted inspections every six months, we will now carry them out every two months to assure the public that the environmental impacts caused by Gag Nikel can be mitigated properly,” Hanif said on Monday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
A day earlier, the environment minister confirmed that Gag Nikel had resumed its mining operations on Gag Island on Sept. 3.
The company had been under a suspension of operations since June, which was lifted after the ministry reviewed data related to its mining activities.
Hanif also noted on Sunday that the nickel miner had received a "green" rating from the government, indicating the company had complied with environmental standards that the Environment Ministry assesses each year.
