"The long struggle of women farmers to halt a zinc mine in North Sumatra", Mongabay, 26 January 2026

On May 19, 2025, residents traveled nearly 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) to Jakarta to protest in front of the ministry’s office, urging them to act.

On the day of their protest, May 22, villagers were informed that the ministry had revoked PT DPM’s permit the previous day. It posted a warning sign prohibiting operations in the mining area and prohibited any activity there.

However, this does not mean it is the end of the mine. The ministry stated that the mine will stop its operation until it gets a new environmental permit.

In November 2025, the ministry held a commission meeting to present the new environmental impact assessment, (...).

BAKUMSU said it was not invited to the meeting. YDPK (...) did receive an invitation but it was a last-minute invitation. “So, we didn’t have time to study the entire EIA document, which is more than 1,400 pages,” (...).

BAKUMSU (...) urged the government not to consider the new mining proposal, (...).

PT DPM said the company is currently following the mechanisms and requirements set by the Indonesian government.

“We ensure that this environmental permit application includes mining methods based on responsible mining practices and meets all the required technical and environmental requirements,” Radianto Arifin, chief legal and external relations officer of PT DPM, said in response to Mongabay this January.