Indonesia revokes more than 2,000 mining and plantation permits

FILE PHOTO: Indonesian President Joko Widodo looks on wearing a protective face mask during an interview in Bebatu, near Tarakan, North Kalimantan province, Indonesia, October 19, 2021. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

JAKARTA — Indonesia President Joko Widodo said Thursday the government has revoked more than 2,000 mining, plantation, and forest-use permits due to non-compliance or because they had not been utilized.

Jokowi, as the president is known, said the action was taken to improve governance and transparency in Indonesia’s rich natural resources sector. The permits revoked include 2,078 in the mining sector, and forestry and plantation permits covering more than 3 million hectares of land.