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View all search resultsPertamina welcomes military protection of refineries starting in December
Minister Sjafrie previously announced that the TNI’s new territorial development battalions (BTPs) would begin safeguarding national strategic industries, including Pertamina’s refineries, in December.
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Troops attend a handover ceremony of defense ministry leadership from previous minister Prabowo Subianto to his successor Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin at the Defense Ministry office in Jakarta, in this file photo taken on Oct. 22, 2024. (AFP/Juni Kriswanto)
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tate-owned energy company Pertamina has welcomed the government’s plan to deploy Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel to guard its oil refineries beginning in December, a move announced earlier by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.
“We welcome this initiative as part of a joint effort to strengthen Pertamina’s internal security system,” Pertamina vice president for corporate communication Muhammad Baron said on Tuesday, as quoted by state news agency Antara.
Baron said Pertamina’s refineries and related facilities were “strategic national assets” directly linked to the country’s interests and public welfare.
“This synergy represents a layered security approach to ensure the continuity of operations at these vital national facilities,” he added.
Minister Sjafrie previously announced that the TNI would begin safeguarding national strategic industries, including Pertamina’s refineries, to ensure that state-owned assets remain secure and fully operational.
He said the TNI had clear legal authority to protect such facilities.
“The task of securing strategic installations, particularly those owned by Pertamina, falls under the TNI’s non-combat military operations (OMSP) and is included in the revised TNI Law, which contains 14 related articles,” Sjafrie said.
He added that the responsibility for protecting strategic industries would fall to the Territorial Development Battalions (BTP) currently being established across the country.
According to Sjafrie, more than 100 such battalions have been set up nationwide, with the government aiming to establish an additional 150 each year.
The minister expressed confidence that the deployment would enhance the performance of national strategic industries like Pertamina and contribute to the country’s prosperity and sovereignty.
“With this safeguard in place, our strategic industries will be able to operate optimally, delivering positive benefits for public welfare and national resilience,” Sjafrie said.
The TNI have been under close scrutiny since Sjafrie became defense minister, owing to the controversial expansion of the military’s role into the civilian space, aided and abetted by President Prabowo Subianto’s cabinet and the House of Representatives. (tjs)
