goodmorningpapua.com – A State Administrative Court (PTUN) Jayapura rejected the lawsuits by PT Papua Lestari Abadi and PT Sorong Agro Sawitindo against the Regent of Sorong, Papua, Johny Kamaru, who revoked the plantation business license of the two companies because they were not beneficial to the community.
The Sorong Regent, Johny Kamaru, said he got pleased with the decision of the Jayapura Administrative Court. He got happy, because the court’s decision was won by the Sorong District Government Team.
As stated by him, the PTUN considers that the decision to revoke the IUPs of PT Papua Lestari Abadi and PT Sorong Agro Sawitindo by the Regent of Sorong is a follow-up to the results of the permit evaluation led directly by the Governor of West Papua Province through the West Papua Food Crops, Horticulture and Plantation Service (TPHBun) by means of a long process based on the government regulations.
Regent Johny Kamuru is grateful for this public triumph, and it is a victory for the people in Sorong specifically for ulayat owners.
“The lawsuit for the revocation of this license is a lesson for all of us and this triumph is an entry point for sustainable forest management in Papua,” he said at a press conference accompanied by his attorney, Pieter Eli, Tuesday (7/12).
The lawsuit began when Regent Johny Kamuru released Decree No. 525/KEP.65/IV/YUN 2021 concerning Revocation of Plantation Business Permit for PT Papua Lestari Abadi covering an area of 15,631 hectares on 27 April 2021.
In addition, Decree No. 525/KEP.64/IV/TAHUN 2021 regarding the revocation of the Plantation Business License of PT Sorong Agro Sawitindo covering an area of approximately 40,000 hectares on April 27, 2021.
The revocation of this license is a series of evaluations of permits for oil palm plantations in West Papua which was carried out together with the Provincial Government of West Papua and supported by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) which began in July 2018.
The two companies, PT Papua Lestari Abadi and PT Sorong Agro Sawitindo, have obtained their plantation business licenses since 2013. Since 2013, the two companies have not planted oil palm at all and have not even obtained land rights in their respective territories.
If traced further, both companies have even obtained Environmental Licenses since 2009. More than a decade has passed and there has been no activity at all from the two companies.