Arutmin and Aspera dispute continues

The South Kalimantan’s provincial administration has stepped in to help settle the continuing dispute between Arutmin, one of the country’s major coal producers, with the association of people’s coal mining (Aspera), Media Indonesia daily reported on Friday.

A senior staff of the South Kalimantan governor, Armam Janit, said that the local government had agreed to become a facilitator in settling the dispute by asking the two parties to end their differences through negotiations.

“We are afraid if the dispute is continuing, it will hurt the overall investment climate in the province,“ he said.

Aspera, which is often referred as a grouping of illegal coal miners, has demanded Arutmin to leave its mining site. The association, which groups about 800 small-scale miners has also asked Arutmin to surrender its untapped coal mining concession in the province to their hands. The association made its demand amid Arutmin’s strong lobbying with related government’s agencies to fight against illegal mining in its mining area.

Meanwhile Aspera’s secretary general Sholikhin said that the association appreciated the government’s initiative to help settle the difference. He said that the association wanted Arutmin to allow its members to operate in is untapped mining areas under a partnership program. (*)