The raids also resulted in the seizure of approximately 156.05 grams of fine gold particles, West Papua Police's Criminal Investigation Director, Senior Commissioner Sonny Tampubolon told journalists here, Tuesday.
In addition to the gold, police confiscated three excavators, four diesel generators, and various other mining equipment. Tampubolon stated that some of the arrested individuals are currently facing trial.
“We have submitted the suspects' case files to the West Papua Prosecutor’s Office. Several are already in court,” he said.
This year’s figures show a significant increase compared to previous years. In 2023, nine miners were arrested, while eight were detained in 2022. The total amount of seized gold during those years was 78.76 grams.
While many of the illegal mining activities in Papua involve local residents, foreign nationals have also been implicated. In November 2021, six undocumented Chinese nationals were arrested for illegal gold mining in Sewa Village, Wapoga Sub-district, Waropen District.
They were identified as Ge Junfeng (48), Lein Feng (37), Yan Gangping (41), Tan Liguo (54), Tan Lihua (58), and Lu Huacheng (38).
Illegal gold mining pits are prohibited due to their environmental impact.
Authorities have often linked such activities to landslides and flash floods across Indonesia.
The government continues to stress the importance of eliminating illegal mining to mitigate the risk of future natural disasters.
Related news: Local governments must eliminate mercury in gold mining
Related news: Aceh police arrest four illegal gold miners in Pidie District
Translator: FS Weking, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: M Razi Rahman
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Cartenz Peace Task Force arrested a member of the separatist group TPNPB OPM (West Papua National Liberation Army - Free Papua Movement), Male Telenggen, on Saturday, July 19, 2025.
However, the member of the Armed Criminal Group (KKB), as the government refers to the OPM, was arrested without a weapon.
Cartenz Peace Task Force Operations Chief, Brigadier General Faizal Rahmadani, stated that the team is continuing to search for and investigate the whereabouts of the firearm held by Male Telenggen.
"This investigation is being conducted to recover the firearm held by the KKB," said Faizal Rahmadani in Jayapura on Monday, July 21, 2025.
Male was arrested last Saturday in Wuyuneri Village, Puncak Jaya Regency, Central Papua. "Male Telenggen's whereabouts in Wuyuneri were discovered through aerial surveillance," he said.
He said Male Telenggen is suspected of involvement in a series of shootings of civilians and Indonesian Army soldiers in Puncak Jaya Regency, Central Papua.
The two cases involving the young man were the shooting of Sergeant Jefri on August 15, 2024, at the Luguneri Village Sports Center, Pagaleme District, and the shooting that killed civilian Edi Hermanto at the Mulia City Central Market on July 12, 2025.
During his final act, Male Telenggen acted as a motorcyclist carrying the shooter, Nanubingga Enumbi.
Male Telenggen was a member of the Yambi Armed Forces (KKB) in Puncak Regency, under the command of Lekagak Telenggen.
Ammunition for the OPM
The Head of the Cartenz Peace Law Enforcement Task Force, Senior Commissioner I Gusti Gede Era Adhinata, stated that 16 rounds of ammunition were confiscated from two civilians, suspected of being destined for a separatist group in Yahukimo.
The 7.62 mm ammunition came from two men who had just disembarked from the KM Sinabung at Jayapura port on Thursday, July 17, 2025.
The two men arrested are Yopi Balingga and Oknis Faluk, Era Adhinata told Antara in Jayapura on Friday.
Investigators are still questioning the two men to uncover their network.
The origin of the 16 rounds of ammunition is still unknown as the investigation is ongoing.
"The Cartenz Peace Task Force will work to uncover the network supplying ammunition to the armed criminal group (KKB)," said Senior Commissioner Era Adhinata.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Cartenz Peace Task Force Public Relations, Senior Commissioner Yusuf Sutejo, separately expressed his hope that the public would support security forces by providing information regarding suspicious activities that could potentially disrupt security in Papua.
"We urge the public to work together to maintain security stability, because citizen involvement in reporting suspicious activities is crucial to preventing crime, including the smuggling of firearms and ammunition," said Yusuf Sutejo.
Yopi Balingga and Oknis Faluk were both passengers on the KM Sinabung from Biak to Jayapura. Shortly after the ship docked at the port and the passengers disembarked, they were arrested along with 16 rounds of ammunition.
The Head of Operations for the Cartenz Peace Task Force, Brigadier General Faizal Rahmadani, stated that the arrest of the two suspected ammunition smugglers was made after his team received information about their whereabouts.
More soldiers are ready to be deployed if needed to secure the repeat voting, Commander of the XVII/Cendrawasih Regional Military Command Major General Rudi Puruwito stated in the city of Jayapura on Tuesday.
He said five districts in Papua are vulnerable to security disturbances before and during the regional elections, including threats from armed groups.
The districts are Jayapura, Keerom, Mamberamo Raya, Waropen, and Kepulauan Yapen, he stated, adding that the Indonesian Military (TNI) works closely with the Indonesian Police (Polri) to secure the repeat voting.
TNI personnel are also prepared to assist in delivering election logistics to regions holding repeat voting on August 6, if requested by the General Elections Commission (KPU), Puruwito stated.
Two pairs of candidates are contesting the Papua governor and deputy governor positions, while four candidates are competing for the Boven Digoel district head and deputy head roles.
Translator: Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s first 100 days have seen a shift towards initiatives driven by national security and ambitious populism, most notably the Free Nutritious Meals program, along with rice and fuel subsidies and tax breaks, all aimed at stimulating consumption and achieving self-sufficiency. Yet slowing growth, weak tax revenues and efforts to limit VAT increases are tightening the budget. Meanwhile, the creation of new ministries and the Danantara sovereign wealth fund have added overhead costs and off-budget spending. Together, these measures strain Indonesia’s fiscal space and raise concerns about the long-term sustainability of Prabowo’s security-focused agenda.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s first several months in office have reflected a shift towards economic policy driven by national security concerns and ambitious populist programs. Drawing on his military background, Prabowo has adopted a centralised, top-down approach to governance, with large fiscal commitments aimed at achieving food and energy self-sufficiency.
But slowing growth and narrowing fiscal space raise concerns that the government might ignore fiscal prudence, risking long-term investment and economic growth. Prabowo’s ambitious populist programs and nationalistic tendencies may lead Indonesia towards a more state-directed and fiscally fragile development path.
Central to Prabowo’s populist agenda is the Free Nutritious Meals program, launched in January 2025. The government has allocated IDR 121 trillion (US$7.5 billion), equivalent to 4.5 per cent of the 2025 state budget, for the program which aims to provide free school meals nationwide. The policy is partly designed to garner political support while boosting short-term consumption. But it also underestimates fiscal risk and implementation difficulties.
This is only part of a broader fiscal expansion that includes rice aid to 18.3 million low-income families, electricity discounts for 79.3 million households and income tax exemptions for workers earning up to IDR 10 million (US$606) per month. In June 2025, the government announced additional economic stimulus measures to boost consumer purchasing power and revive economic activity after sluggish first quarter growth.
These populist measures deliver much-needed short-term economic relief, particularly as real wages remain stagnant and the middle class has yet to fully recover from the pandemic. But the fiscal trade-off is also intensifying. While subsidies and tax exemptions can act as counter-cyclical policies amid global uncertainty, they become problematic when pursued without considering long-term efficiency gains.
Weak tax revenue growth, partly due to limiting the planned VAT hike to only luxury goods, is straining the budget. Maintaining the deficit ceiling of 3 per cent of GDP has required extensive budget cuts and reallocations, and may prove difficult if expenditures continue to escalate.
The government’s institutional expansion complicates matters further. Prabowo’s cabinet is Indonesia’s largest since Sukarno’s 1960s Dwikora cabinet, with 48 ministers and 56 vice-ministers. Several new coordinating ministries, such as Food Affairs and Infrastructure, have increased fiscal overheads without clear efficiency gains. The enlarged structure also reflects political payoffs to coalition partners, raising questions about long-term policy coherence and effective governance.
One of the most consequential institutional changes is the formation of Danantara, a new sovereign wealth fund that will assume control of state-owned enterprises. This includes Pertamina, PLN, Telkom and the four largest state-owned banks.
Officially modelled on Singapore’s Temasek, Danantara differs in key respects. It is funded by state-owned enterprises’ annual dividend streams and potentially new borrowings. The fund reports directly to the president, raising serious concerns about transparency, independent oversight and the diversion of vital state revenue.
These fiscal pressures grow against a challenging macroeconomic backdrop. Indonesia’s GDP growth slowed to 4.87 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, its weakest pace in three years. This is due to subdued household consumption, weak investment and declining external demand. In May, Bank Indonesia further cut its benchmark interest rate to 5.5 per cent after an earlier 25 basis point cut in January, and revised down its 2025 growth forecast to 4.6–5.4 per cent.
External accounts are also under pressure. Exports to China — Indonesia’s top trading partner — dropped from US$64.93 billion in 2023 to US$62.43 billion in 2024 amid China’s economic deceleration. The looming US tariff hike poses a new threat to Indonesia’s exports, particularly labour-intensive garments and footwear that rely on the US market.
With coal prices trending downwards and palm oil prices peaking, the government’s energy self-sufficiency efforts are getting a temporary breather. Currently, the country’s electricity needs are largely fuelled by coal, while biodiesel from crude palm oil is being pushed to reduce oil imports. Rising oil prices — driven by the intensifying Iran–Israel conflict and other external pressures — are prompting calls for new subsidies and industrial support, reflecting the government’s interventionist tendencies.
Meanwhile, the administration’s food self-sufficiency efforts are showing some gains in the rice sector. After production shortfalls and climate disruptions drove prices to record highs, Indonesia imported 3.9 million tonnes of rice in 2024. But in 2025, government efforts to increase food production have shown results. Ministry of Agriculture data shows a rice surplus of around 2.8–3 million tonnes in April 2025, which aligns with Prabowo’s rice self-sufficiency goal. But the rising fiscal burden and uncertain long-term cost-effectiveness, especially in relation to rice estates expansion, warrant greater scrutiny.
The government’s populist policies may improve consumer spending in the short term. But its security-focused energy and food self-sufficiency programs as well as sizeable military spending need reassessment to maintain fiscal prudence.
The reduced policy influence of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, who guarded fiscal prudence under previous administrations, also raises concern about a shift away from independent fiscal and monetary policies.
Rising off-budget spending through new institutions like Danantara reduces fiscal transparency and investor confidence, especially if independent oversight remains weak. US investor Ray Dalio’s May 2025 exit from Danantara’s advisory board signals the need for safeguards to restore credibility. Balancing ambitious populist goals with fiscal responsibility remains Indonesia’s key challenge under Prabowo’s leadership.
Republished from East Asia Forum, 19 July 2025
The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.
Manggi Habir. Manggi Habir is Associate Senior Fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore.
Siwage Dharma Negara. Siwage Dharma Negara is Senior Fellow and Co-Coordinator of the Indonesia Studies Programme at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore.
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