Antam "succeeds" in handling illegal miners
Thursday, August 10 2000 - 03:00 AM WIB
State mining company PT Aneka Tambang (Antam) Tbk said illegal mining activities at its Pongkor gold mine in West Java had decreased thanks its effective community development program and better security system.
Company president Dedy Aditya Sumanegara said on Tuesday that the local religious leaders also helped encourage the local illegal miners to stop their activities.
"The results are impressive. The number of illegal miners has dropped to 1,000 from 6,000 last year. None of the existing illegal miners are local people, but they are all from outside the area," Deddy said during a press visit to the gold mine.
He said that in cooperation with the local government, Antam lured the local illegal miners to quit their mining activities by offering them alternative jobs of maintaining the company's infrastructure.
Antam also increased security at the Pongkor gold mine by changing the personnel guarding the gold mine every one month. Formerly, the security personnel were changed every two or three months.
"The result is significant," Deddy said.
The security personnel of the gold mine, who are mostly local military members and police officers, have often been blamed for collusion with the illegal miners.
He also said the local religious leaders also helped convince the local illegal miners that their activities were dangerous, detrimental to the environment.
Tens of illegal miners were killed in numerous landslide accidents at the gold mine. The illegal miners were also blamed for polluting the area's rivers with their mercury waste.
"The mercury waste disposed of by the illegal miners will slowly but surely threaten the lives of the Pongkor people and their descendants. The Pongkor people have been aware of the danger," Deddy said.
Petromindo, who took part in the press visit, found that the beach of the Cikaniki river in the area, which was last year crowded with illegal miners, has been much deserted.
There were only between three and four groups of illegal miners still operating along the river's beach. (--Hans Bodega--)