Nagan Raya, July 1, 2025 — In commemoration of the 79th Bhayangkara Day, the APEL Green Aceh Foundation calls on the Indonesian National Police (Polri) to increase its active role in enforcing environmental law. The Polri is asked to prioritize taking action against perpetrators of forest encroachment and illegal logging practices that are still ongoing in the Rawa Tripa area, Nagan Raya Regency and Southwest Aceh.

Tripa Swamp is an important part of the Leuser Ecosystem (LEE) and is known as one of the richest tropical peat swamps in Sumatra. However, this area continues to experience alarming damage due to illegal land clearing, forest encroachment for oil palm plantations, and increasingly massive illegal logging with almost no meaningful law enforcement.

"We urge law enforcement officers, especially the ranks of the National Police in Aceh, to make Bhayangkara Day a milestone for firm action against environmental crimes in Rawa Tripa. There must be no more tolerance for forest destroyers who openly violate the law," said Syukur, Director of APEL Green Aceh.

As the vanguard in law enforcement, the National Police is considered to have a strategic responsibility to side with environmental justice. In the midst of an increasingly real ecological crisis, saving the Tripa Swamp is not just a moral duty, but also a constitutional mandate. The Tripa Swamp must be saved, not sacrificed for the interests of a handful of parties.

APEL Green Aceh also emphasized that community reports and independent investigations have revealed organized illegal logging activities, as well as systematic land clearing using heavy equipment and forest burning.

APEL Green Aceh urges:

1. The Chief of Police and the Aceh Police Chief immediately took concrete steps to stop illegal logging and forest encroachment in Rawa Tripa.
2. Indiscriminate law enforcement, including against perpetrators from corporate circles and individuals involved in illegal logging and illegal land control.
3. Increased patrols and integrated surveillance by the police together with Gakkum KLHK and other law enforcement officers in the Rawa Tripa area.
4. Execution of court decisions that have permanent legal force (inkracht), including the case of PT Kallista Alam which was proven to have damaged the Rawa Tripa area.

APEL Green Aceh reminds us that forests and peatlands are not only ecological assets, but also the guardians of the lives of millions of people. If the National Police want to strengthen public trust on this Bhayangkara Day, real steps in saving Rawa Tripa must be realized immediately.