Press Release - Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM)
July 14th 2006

Jakarta. The peaceful protest against Toka Tindung Mine Project (Archipelago Res., Australia) participated by 3,000 people from two regencies in North Sulawesi, the Bitung city and North Minahasa Regency, led to brutal attack by group known as Alliance Pro Investor (AMPI). The group, suspected having close relationship with the company’s Indonesia subsidiary PT Meares Soputan Mining (MSM), thrown rocks to protesters on their way home in Thursday night (13/7). In total 54 people reported injured, 7 were seriously wounded in heads and eyes from iron and nailed-wood stick beating. A pregnant woman fainted after kicked by the some men.

Police has so far detained Jorry Lomboan (leader of AMPI) and his colleagues suspected as attackers. This group had previously expressed their support of mining investment entering the province. While, thousands of fishermen, tourism workers, and fish canning factory labors stand against mining project whose plan to dump toxic waste into the sea of Rinondoran. Those opposed to the Submarine Tailings Disposal method proposed by Archipelago Res. united in local organization namely AMMALTA (Community Alliance against Mine Waste).

On Thursday (13/7), more than 3,000 AMMALTA members organized peaceful protest to express their rejection to revision of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of Toka Tindung Project.1 The company’s plan to revise EIA document is obviously disregard some recommendations obliging PT MSM to re-conduct EIA study as the document stated expired by both central and regional government institutions.2

The Bureau of Environmental Management (BPLH) North Sulawesi stated last year that the company‘s EIA is expired. In December 2005, this problem was brought into the hands of Environment Minister which later formed team whose task to verify the EIA implementation. Based on verification team’s finding, Environment Minister decided that the EIA is expired, and needs a reformulation, not just revision. The company has also obliged to halt the Toka Tindung project construction until the new EIA study is completed. Unfortunately, the company has taken the recommendation just for granted as it maintains operation and considers the 1998 EIA is valid. But later on it came with plan to revise EIA.

The establishment of Toka Tindung project has triggered anxiety among the people of Bitung and North Minahasa as it plans to dump the mine waste (tailings) into Rinondoran bay. The plan will badly affect the livelihood of thousands fisherman in the province and hence threaten the provincial government’s income from fishery sector which counts to IDR 500 to 900 billion per year.3 The project also put enormous risk to the continuity of 50 companies investing in tourism sectors; endangers the livelihood of thousands labors working in fishery and tourism enterprises. Moreover, the project possesses human health contamination risk due to tailings deposition in the marine waters. The waste dumping method remind us to that applied at the nearby Buyat Bay by Newmont Mining which cause local community to suffer from illnesses due to heavy metal contamination. ***

Note to the Editor

1. PT MSM advertised in local newspaper Manado Pos dated 16 June 2006 page 10, requesting public participation in the revision of EIA Study of Toka Tindung project.

2. Several local and central governments’ recommendation: Letter of BPLH Sulut dated 22 November 2005 no 660.1/345/BPLH stated that EIA study of PT MSM have expired. Letter of Minister of Environment dated 19 December 2005 No.B.6345/Dep.I/Lh/12/2005 stated that EIA study of PT MSM have expired, and that PT MSM is obliged to re-conduct EIA study, not to revise the old EIA Letter of North Sulawesi Governor dated 20 December 2005 no.
545/2201/SEKR to Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources requesting the halt of PT MSM activity until the company completed the new EIA study. According to the Governor the attendance of PT MSM raised significant resistance from North Sulawesi society and could lead to the area instability.

3. North Sulawesi Central Bureau of Statistic.

Media Contact:

Adi Widyanto (JATAM)
Ph. +62 21 7941559, Cell. +62 815 11655911
Email: campaigner@jatam.org