Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A civil lawsuit against two corporations accused of causing environmental damage linked to the devastating Sumatra floods formally opened this week at the Medan District Court in North Sumatr
During a hearing on Tuesday, the Environment Ministry, acting as the plaintiff, submitted documents detailing its claims against palm oil producer PT Tri Bahtera Srikandi (TBS) and pulp and paper company PT Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL).
Presiding Judge Jarot Widiyatmono said the lawsuit met all procedural requirements and ruled that the case would proceed to the mediation stage, scheduled for Feb. 3.
Sri Indrawati, representing the Environment Ministry's legal team, expressed hope that the judges would rule in favor of the government, holding the two companies accountable for environmental damage and ordering them to fund restoration efforts.
"Both companies contributed to the recent flooding and landslides in Central Tapanuli regency," she said after the hearing.
Ferry, the lawyer representing PT TBS, said the company would comply with all legal procedures but insisted it has been unfairly singled out for the disaster.
"We hope this case will be decided as fairly as possible. From our perspective, TBS is being made a scapegoat. It is a relatively small company compared with the others [sued in the case]. Besides, the causes of the flooding are complex, there are not just one or two factors, but many," he said.
PT TPL did not attend the first hearing of the lawsuit, but its director, Anwar Lawden, said the company respects the ongoing legal process.
"We are currently reviewing the lawsuit materials we have just received and are studying them carefully. We will fully cooperate in all future stages of the proceedings and comply with the legal process," he said.
The northern and western regions of Sumatra suffered severe devastation due to Tropical Cyclone Senyar that formed in the Malacca Strait and unleashed a week of torrential rain and strong winds in late November 2025, triggering significant floods and landslides.
At least 3.1 million people were affected across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. The disaster claimed the lives of 1,201 people, injured around 7,000 others, with 142 still missing as of Tuesday, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). In addition, more than 113,600 people remain displaced across the three provinces.
Environmental organizations, including the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), attributed the severe impact to large-scale deforestation and weak enforcement of environmental regulations.
Walhi noted that 1.4 million hectares of forest were cleared across the three provinces between 2016 and 2025 to make way for plantations, mining and other commercial activities.
After the disaster, the Environment Ministry launched an investigation into illegal logging and unregulated concessions across the three provinces, noting that severe environmental degradation had worsened the impact on local communities.
Earlier this month, the ministry announced that it had filed separate lawsuits against six private companies, including PT TPL and PT TBS, for allegedly damaging areas near key watersheds in North Sumatra, including North Tapanuli, South Tapanuli and Central Tapanuli regencies.
The ministry alleges that the companies damaged roughly 2,516 ha of land near two major watersheds, Garoga and Batang Toru.
The lawsuits, which were registered simultaneously at the Medan, South Jakarta, and Central Jakarta district courts, seek Rp 4.8 trillion (US$283 million) in compensation for ecological losses.
"The state cannot remain silent while the environment is damaged and the people are left to bear the consequences alone," Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said recently.
"We firmly uphold the principle that violators must pay. Any corporation that profits from harming ecosystems bears absolute responsibility to restore them," he added.
PT TBS manages 277 ha of palm oil plantations in Central Tapanuli, including around 20-30 ha within the Garoga watershed.
Meanwhile, PT TPL, one of Indonesia's largest pulp companies, holds a eucalyptus concession covering 167,912 ha across 12 regencies in North Sumatra.
The company has previously been embroiled in conflicts over alleged environmental destruction, overlaps with protected areas, and land disputes with Indigenous communities.
According to the Association for the Study and Development of Community Initiatives (KSPPM), 23 Indigenous communities across five districts surrounding Lake Toba are currently involved in disputes with TPL, which is owned by Hong Kong-based investment firm Allied Hill.
Environmental groups have also accused TPL of causing extensive ecological damage around Lake Toba. Activists say that the loss of forest cover from the company's activities in the lake's watershed has contributed to increasingly frequent ecological disasters, including droughts and flash floods.
The company has denied the allegations. (nal)