Unlicensed gold mining has made headlines recently, following a series of deadly accidents and environmental damage caused by the illegal business. To prevent further disasters, the government is preparing several measures to tackle unauthorized mining across the country once and for all. The solutions range from providing permits for such operations to helping miners find alternative livelihoods. The government’s commitment to addressing illegal mining is included in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Environment and Forestry Ministry and the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, signed on April 29. The document is meant to strengthen coordination between the two ministries. Sri Rahardjo, a director with the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said separately that both ministries aimed to assist unauthorized miners in switching to legal sources of in...