Jatam Mapping Reveals Prabowo-Affiliated Company Linked to Aceh Flood Risks

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's National Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) has released a detailed mapping of forest concession permits owned by PT Tusam Hutani Lestari, a company affiliated with Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, across Central Aceh, Bener Meriah, Bireuen, and North Aceh.

Jatam says the company’s operations, alongside numerous mining permits and Industrial Timber Plantations (HTI), have contributed to the flooding and landslides that struck the region at the end of last month.

“Their operations have contributed to the decline in environmental sustainability in the surrounding areas,” Melky Nahar, National Coordinator of Jatam, told Tempo on Sunday, December 7, 2025.

Forest Concessions and Overlaps

Melky presented a map highlighting the extent of forest concession and utilization permits in Aceh. PT Tusam Hutani Lestari alone covers roughly 97,000 hectares.

Residents have long protested the company’s landholdings, claiming they encroach on customary forests and transform traditional lands into industrial pine plantations.

He further explained that PT Tusam Hutani Lestari is spread across four areas, one of which is adjacent to the mining activities operated by PT Linge Mineral Resources (Gold) covering an area of 36,420 hectares.

"Upon our inspection, there is indeed an overlap between the forest concession of PT Tusam and PT Linge Mineral Resources," he said, referring to the corporation which is part of the Bumi Resources Minerals group.

Environmental Impacts

Jatam argues that these landholdings have degraded forest cover in upstream areas of rivers in Aceh, weakening natural water catchment systems and reducing the environment’s ability to absorb heavy rainfall.

The organization links these changes to the flooding and landslides caused by Tropical Cyclone Senyar in November.

A social media post by Jatam showing the mapped permits sparked strong reactions, with many connecting the presence of Prabowo’s company to the central government’s decision not to declare the floods in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra as national disasters.

Beyond PT Tusam, Jatam identified 30 mineral and coal mining permits covering more than 132,000 hectares, alongside timber concessions and HTIs extending toward local settlements in Central Aceh and North Aceh.

Melky stressed that the flash floods were not solely caused by extreme rainfall but also highlighted how corporate land use practices have worsened environmental vulnerability.

Historical Context of Land Ownership

Prabowo’s ownership of extensive forest concessions also came under scrutiny during the 2019 Presidential Election. At the time, then-incumbent President Joko Widodo criticized Prabowo for holding hundreds of thousands of hectares of land.

Prabowo, the father of Gibran Rakabuming Raka (the current vice president in his administration), reportedly owned 340,000 hectares—220,000 hectares in East Kalimantan and 120,000 hectares in Aceh.

In a presidential debate at the Sultan Hotel, Jakarta, on February 17, 2019, Jokowi argued, “A total of 12.7 million hectares must be distributed to the people, not to the rich.”

Referring directly to Prabowo, he added, “We want to convey that such distribution was not carried out during my administration.”

At the time, Vice President Jusuf Kalla acknowledged that he had approved Prabowo’s 2004 land purchase in East Kalimantan under former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s administration, noting that the acquisition was legally compliant.

Overall, Prabowo’s land holdings across Indonesia were recorded at approximately 361,983 hectares.

In his closing statement during the debate, Prabowo acknowledged his ownership but emphasized that the lands were held under Business Use Permits (HGU) and expressed willingness to return them to the government.

He argued that, as an Indonesian nationalist, he was better positioned to manage the land than foreign entities.

The issue resurfaced during the 2024 Presidential Election when former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan referenced Prabowo’s 340,000 hectares of land in a debate. Prabowo again framed his ownership as an expression of patriotism and national interest.

Read: Local Governments Overwhelmed in the Wake of the Sumatra Floods

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