Blockade of access road to KEM ends
Thursday, May 11 2000 - 04:30 AM WIB
Villagers stopped on Wednesday the blockade of the access road to the gold mine of PT Kelian Equatorial Mining (KEM) in Long Iram, Kutai regency, East Kalimantan on Thursday allowing the company to obtain logistical supplies and resume productions that had been halted for more than a week.
The blockade around Kebut Menceleo village ended peacefully as the villagers removed the blockade themselves, but the villagers of Melepeh Baru and Tutung refused to remove the blockade, forcing the police to shoot warning shots and forcibly remove the road blocks, Kompas daily reported.
"We agreed to end the blockade because we want to soon negotiate on the price," Adianto, who claimed to represent the Kebut Menceleo villagers said.
The villagers have blocked the road for several weeks, barring logistical supplies to the gold mine and forcing the company to stop production since April 29. The villagers took the action to pressure the company to immediately pay land compensation.
KEM's president John Valle looked happy over the end of the blockade, the paper reported.
He estimated the company's losses at Rp 27.8 billion (US$1=Rp 8,150) due to the 11-day blockade.
But, negotiations between KEM's team headed by Jan Andersen with the villagers on the price of their lands failed to bring fruits on Wednesday. Both parties agreed to later continue the negotiations.
Pius Frederick Nyompe, executive director of the Institute for Environment and Mining Community Welfare, blamed the failed negotiation on the police, local governmental officials who he said did too much interference with the negotiation, Republika daily reported.
The villagers initially demanded Rp 100,000 per square meter in compensation for their land but they then cut the amount to Rp 19,000 per square meter. It is still well above KEM's offer of Rp 4,000 per square meter.
Meanwhile, State Minister of Investment and State Enterprises Rozy Munir said on Wednesday he would fly to East Kalimantan to settle the case, DetikCom reported.
Rozy, who spoke prior to the cabinet meeting, did not however reveal whether he would go on his own initiative or on the order of President Abdurrahman Wahid. (*)