Central Kalimantan Governor calls for strong action against occupiers of IMK's mining site

Acting Governor of Central Kalimantan Rapiuddin Hamarung vowed to take strong action against the occupiers of the mining site of coal mining firm PT Indo Muro Kencana (IMK) because the occupation had badly affected the firm's production process.

Rapiuddin also said that he would take strong action against the mastermind of the occupation which had also disturbed the social and security condition in the province in general.

He acknowledged that he had instructed the North Barito Regent to settle the land occupation of IMK's mining site, and the local police to immediately investigate the mastermind of the land occupation.

But Rapiuddin said that IMK would provide local people who also encroached on the company's mining site with a separate site. He said that the local people should form a cooperatives unit jointly mine the area with the supervision of IMK.

Rapiuddin, however, said that the problem now was to identify the real local people from the migrants.

Hundreds of people have been reportedly occupying the mining site of the Indonesian-Australian coal mining joint venture operation.

There has been accusation that the Yayasan Bina Sumberdaya, a local NGO, of masterminding the land occupation. But the NGO denied this allegation saying that it merely accommodate the people's problem.(*)