C. Kalimantan people worried about Freeport?s mining plan

Some groups of communities in Central Kalimantan have expressed their opposition against Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold?s plan to develop a mining area in the province, Kompas reported on Saturday.

The chairman of the customary council of Dayak people (DAD) in Central Kalimantan, Sabran Achmad, said in Palangkaraya that many local people were worried that the company?s activities would damage the environment and would take out the people?s farming areas and customary land.

The report said that Freeport-McMoran, which owned Freeport Indonesia, the operator of a huge copper and gold mine in Papua, would cooperate with PT Kalimantan Surya Kencana (KSK) to develop a mining area.

They have begun exploration works at a copper and gold mining area of about 61,000 hectares in Murung Raya, Katingan, and Gunung Mas regencies.

?If they want to conduct mining activities, they have to abide by all the existing regulations. We have to get first hand information from them,? Sabran said.

Meanwhile, Yakobson Magat, the head of the mining office at the Central Kalimantan provincial administration, said that the people needed not to worry about the mining activities of PT KSK and its partner.

He said KSK was not a subsidiary of Freeport, saying Freeport is only a partner of KSK in developing its mining area.(*)