October 27, 2025 | 03:27 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has apologized to the entire Papuan community for the burning of the Cenderawasih Crown by the Papua Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA).
"On behalf of the Ministry of Forestry, I apologize for what happened. I plan to gather all BKSDA personnel via Zoom today to re-inventory what is considered taboo or sacred in the community, so that law enforcement does not violate such things," Minister Raja Juli Antoni said in Denpasar, Bali, as reported by Antara on Monday, October 27, 2026.
During a working visit to Denpasar, the Minister explained that the destruction of evidence, such as the offset and Cenderawasih crown, during the enforcement process against the trade of protected wildlife was legally permissible.
He stated that while the action was legally correct, it was non-contextual when local wisdom was considered, resulting in the estrangement of the Papuan community.
Acknowledging that the BKSDA should have understood these local norms, Minister Raja Juli has sent one of the first-echelon officials to Papua to engage in dialogue with the Papua People's Assembly (MRP) and students.
"So this will not recur in Papua, in Bali, or elsewhere. I will gather all agency heads virtually to revisit the values of local wisdom, local taboos, and local terminology that mandate caution on our part," he affirmed.
Arising from the Cenderawasih Crown incident, the Minister underscored a more pressing matter: the challenge of the Cenderawasih bird's wild growth. He appealed to the Papua community to safeguard this natural heritage.
"Our challenge with the Cenderawasih Birds is indeed their extraordinary wild growth now. There are many types of these birds, and not all succeed in captivity. There are many challenges; they are more shy, [they require] specific air temperature, specific darkness," said Minister Raja Juli, while reminding that only one type of Cenderawasih has been successfully bred in captivity.
The discussion about the Cenderawasih Crown originated from a question posed by Sulaeman L Hamzah, a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives Commission IV, regarding the Minister's response to the protests from the Papuan community.
Sulaeman reminded the government that the Cenderawasih Crown holds important cultural meaning, having often been used as an accessory for visiting officials.
"The destruction of the confiscated items apparently triggered strong reactions from various regions. Minister, I ask for a statement to calm the public's reaction," Sulaeman said.
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