The ceremony was attended by representatives from various sectors, including the Governor of Banten, Regent of Serang, Chief of Banten Regional Police, representatives from the Coordinating Ministry for Food, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), BAPETEN, the Army Engineering Centre, the Police Gegana Unit, as well as local government officials. The purpose of the gathering was to ensure operational readiness, the safety of personnel in the field, and the protection of the public.

At this ceremony, BAPETEN was represented by Haendra Subekti, Deputy Chairman for Nuclear Safety Assessment; Yudi Pramono, Director of Nuclear Engineering and Preparedness (DKKN); Dedik Eko Sumargo, Head of the Centre for Regulatory Assessment of Radiation Facilities and Radioactive Materials (P2STPFRZR); Agus Yudhi Pristianto, Deputy BAPETEN’s Emergency Response Team Lead (STD or Satuan Tanggap Darurat); and the decontamination supervision team.

“This ceremony activity serves as a reaffirmation of our readiness to protect our communities and environment from radionuclide radiation contamination. The state and government, through the Task Force for Handling Cs-137 Radionuclide Radiation Hazards and Public Health in Vulnerable Communities, as mandated by the Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia through Decree No. 43 of 2025, has entrusted us with the responsibility to address Cs-137 radiation hazards and manage public health impacts as swiftly as possible. The task before us is not an easy one. Our strength lies in collaboration and synchronized action,” explained Minister Hanif.

Minister Hanif further emphasized that the government is present to act as quickly as possible to ensure public safety. “In environmental decontamination efforts, we stress that, for the safety of everyone, especially field personnel, all decontamination activities must comply with established technical standards and guidelines, including technical guidance from BRIN, which must be implemented in accordance with the supervision principles set by BAPETEN,” Minister Hanif affirmed.

The ceremony activity was followed by a press conference, during which Minister Hanif reiterated that the government is addressing this issue from all angles as quickly as possible, beginning with decontamination at the 10 identified sites. “We aim to complete this within one month at the latest, while continuously monitoring developments. Public health management will also continue in a sustained manner to ensure safety and certainty in resolving this case,” Minister Hanif explained.

When asked by the media about the handling of Cs-137 from a legal perspective, Minister Hanif stated that the government supports law enforcement authorities in conducting a thorough investigation of the two possible sources of contamination. He further explained that the case has now been escalated from the investigation stage to the formal inquiry stage. (BHKK/GP)