Council summons Unocal over dispute with villagers
Wednesday, October 11 2000 - 08:00 AM WIB
The East Kalimantan provincial council will summon Unocal Indonesia Company, a subsidiary of American energy firm Unocal Corp., to a meeting on its dispute with the locals over land compensation.
Vice speaker of the council Kasyful A As'ad said the council had once asked to meet with Unocal but the company did not turn up.
"Unocal once belittled us by rejecting our request for a meeting. If it does not come this time, we shall report the company to the police," Kasyful said after the council's meeting with East Kalimantan governor Suwarna, provincial military commander Tri Subagio and provincial police chief Bahrumsyah Kasman.
The meeting was held following the police's action on Sunday to end the blockage of Unocal's facilities by the villagers of Marangkayu, Kaltim Post and Kompas dailies reported.
The villagers blockaded the canal that is used by Unocal to send logistical supplies from the Tanjang Santan terminal to its offshore oil rigs for two weeks in a bid pressure the company to pay compensations for the farmland allegedly polluted by the company's waste.
Unocal has repeatedly denied the allegation.
Kasyful said the meeting with Unocal, scheduled for this week, will also be attended by Pertamina, governor and the province's military commander and police chief.
He promised to be tough in facing Unocal.
He criticized Unocal's local staff for preferring to follow the order of their expatriate superiors than take care of the fate of the local peoples, describing such local staff as "half-bule" Bule is the derogatory remark for white people.
"The meeting has decided that if the settlement of the dispute becomes difficult because of the bule, we have to bar the bule from entering East Kalimantan," Kasyful said.
Councilor Herlan Agussalim said Unocal and state oil and gas company Pertamina promised in a meeting in August with the villagers promised to pay compensations to the villagers but they had yet to deliver on their promise.
"That's how arrogant Unocal is," Herlan said.
During the meeting, East Kalimantan police chief denied the claim by activists that the police injured 20 villagers with gunshot during the operation to end the blockade, insisting only one villager was injured by rubber bullet.
However, councilors said the gunshot victims were more then one.
Bahrumsyah however insisted during the meeting that the villagers had violated the law by not reporting to the police about the actions. Under the Law No. 9/1998, citizens have to report to the police about their protest or demonstration plans.
""We have to protect the state assets. Meanwhile, the company was about to stop operation due to the lack of fuel," Bahrumsyah said.
The East Kalimantan police chief however promised to punish the police officers who did not follow proper procedures in dispersing the villagers.
Meanwhile, Pertamina's president Baihaki Hakim called on Tuesday on the villagers not to block the canal because it would trouble Unocal's operation.
He also called on Unocal to sit together with the villagers to find a solution. (*)