Activities at Newmont continue as deadline passes

Activities at PT Newmont Minahasa Raya's gold mine in Rotatorok in the regency of Minahasa, North Sulawesi continued as usual as the deadline set by the local court to shut down the gold mine passed, Manado Pos reported on Monday.

The newspaper said that the mining activities remained active as normal on Sunday, the last day given by the court to the company to close its gold mine. Heavy equipments were operated as usual and workers remained busy with their jobs, the daily added.

There was apparently no attempt planned by workers, who earlier opposed the court's closure order, to block the closure execution but they could not conceal their fear about the possibility of losing their jobs if the gold mine was really closed.

"For me, the closure of the gold mine would not really become a problem as long as they pay my salary until 2003 when the mine contract is ended," one of the workers said. Some other local workers said that if the mine was closed, they should be given the chance to operate the gold mine.

The Tondano court issued last week a provisional ruling requiring Newmont to temporarily close its gold mine by Sunday until it came with its final decision over the company's alleged refusal to pay the local tax imposed on the C-category minerals such as stones, sand, gravel and other overburden.

The Supreme Court later sent a letter to the local court, ordering it to delay the closure order. The local court, however, gave no response to the order, (*)