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View all search resultsAnalysis: IMIP airport raises questions on transparency and oversight
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The Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) in Central Sulawesi is shown in an undated photo. (Courtesy of IMIP)
T
he presence of the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) Private Airport in Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi, has sparked controversy after Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin asserted that the facility operates without proper state oversight. The issue appears to reflect a broader debate among state institutions, revealing friction between figures from the previous administration and the current government.
Sjafrie issued a stern warning regarding the private airport, emphasizing that the government would not allow the industrial zone to operate as a "state within a state".
He made this statement after attending the Joint Command Exercise of the Indonesian Military (TNI) at the IMIP area on Nov. 19–20. He stressed that the government intends to overhaul the management of the airport to ensure full state compliance.
President Prabowo Subianto has named Sjafrie the head of the Forest Area Regulation Task Force, whose mandate is to restore forest areas impacted by unauthorized mining and plantations. Any land occupied by companies operating illegally within forest zones is to be reclaimed by the state.
Amid this enforcement effort, IMIP has drawn scrutiny for its reputation as an exclusive enclave, often inaccessible even to residents. Green groups have also linked the industrial estate to the severe environmental degradation and health problems in the regency.
PT IMIP operates the industrial park, which spans approximately 2,000 hectares. The area hosts more than 50 companies, primarily ferronickel processors. Since its establishment in 2013, three entities have been listed as shareholders: Shanghai Decent Investment (Group), PT Sulawesi Mining Investment and PT Bintang Delapan Investama.
The IMIP Private Airport, developed to support this Chinese-backed industrial estate, has long been suspected of serving as a discreet entry point for foreign workers employed in Morowali's mining operations.
