Bambang suspects foreign movement behind mining protests

Minister of Mines and Energy Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has blamed the involvement of an "international movement" on the growing protests against Indonesian mining operations.

The minister said here on Friday that the international movement used old land dispute, environmental, wage issues as means to provoke local residents or workers to carry out hostile

actions against the mining companies.

"There is a suspicion of the involvement of an international anti-mining movement behind the growing conflicts in mining operations," he was quoted as saying by The Jakarta Post on Saturday

The retired three-star general did not name the group but he said that the group usually used old conflicts and environmental issues to provoke the local residents and workers with the main

purpose of closing down the country's major mining operations.

Bambang said he always heard complaints of such movements during his visits to various mining operations across Indonesia. "It's a covert movement through pamphlets with the aim to stop

the mining operation," he told reporters at his office.

Bambang said that most of the demand made by the locals from the mining companies were actually old issues which had been settled years ago. This phenomenon, he said, occurred at the same time and nearly everywhere.

"This indicates something planned and organized," he said.

Bambang was referring to conflicts at gold mining operator PT Newmont Minahasa Raya in North Sulawesi and coal mining firm PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) and gold mining firm PT Kelian Equatorial Mining (KEM), both in East Kalimantan.

Local residents have demanded Newmont and KEM to pay more compensation for the land acquired by the mining firms during early years of their operations. The companies refused to pay

such demand as the compensation payment had been settled along time ago. The operations of the two companies had been closed for several days after the residents blocked the access roads to their mining areas.

Newmont managed to strike a deal last month, KEM is still edging towards a final settlement, although the blockade has already been lifted.

Unlike the two companies, KPC has been forced to halt its coal mining operations due to the protests made by its workers, who demanded among other things a 15 percent salary increase.

The workers went on strike in mid June and have since forced KPC to shut its operation by occupying the company's mining plant.

KPC had to shut its operation twice in five weeks due to faltering negotiations with the striking workers, but a senior government official said Friday that talks had resumed.

Another frequent issue brought up by many non-government organizations, concerns alleged environmental damages that mining companies were causing. These organization charge mining companies of poisoning the environment with their mining waste material, which destroys local ecosystems and causes health problems to residents nearby. (*)