Caltex's production continues normally despite student protests

American oil and gas company PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia said its oil production in Riau continued normally in the wake of the demonstration held by the provincial students to force the company to suspend the operations for three days, Kompas daily reported.

Caltex vice president Tengku Amir Sulaiman said the company would not meet the students' demand as the suspension would bring US$11 million per day in losses on the company.

The provincial students unsuccessfully tried to block the company's operation in a violent demonstration on Jan. 23.

Sulaiman said the protest had no impacts on the company's productions but had troubled the working environment of the company as the company now had to tightly guard and barricade its facilities to prevent intrusion by students.

Sulaiman said the students merely wanted to pressure the central government to give fairer shares of oil revenue to the province. (*)