Open Trip Organizer Blacklisted for Not Hiring Local Porters on Mount Lawu

An open trip organizer has been blacklisted for two years for ascending Mount Lawu, a peak straddling the border of Central and East Java, without employing local porters. The organizer, identified as Shohibul Alam, along with three crew members, Firmandeka, Bimbo Satria, and Fidi Amrullah, led a group of 20 hikers via the Candi Cetho route in Karanganyar Regency, Central Java.

Titin Riyadiningsih, Head of Operations and Development at the Karanganyar Regional General Trading Company (PUD Aneka Usaha), detailed the violations. The incident occurred on July 11-12, with a video of the event circulating on July 12. According to Titin, the Shohibul Alam group repeatedly failed to use local porters and did not obtain official confirmation from the management, leading to disruptions on the descent path and causing delays for other hikers.

Further infractions included the group bringing three registration forms simultaneously, complicating the check-out process. The group could not descend completely until all members were accounted for, and the organizer's identity was unclear to his own team members. This situation reportedly created conflict at the registration base camp. Titin stated that the organizer had previously received two warnings for similar offenses.

"We emphasize that the safety and order of the climbing route are the top priorities. Every open trip organizer must comply with applicable regulations, including bringing local porters, making official confirmations, and ensuring the clarity of the group's responsible person," Titin said. "Repeated violations like this cannot be tolerated." Shohibul Alam and his crew have signed a written statement acknowledging their mistakes and accepting the sanctions.