Court gives four-month jail for blockaders of IMK mining road
Monday, November 13 2000 - 04:30 AM WIB
The Muara Teweh Court in South Kalimantan has sentenced Otong bin Bajau and five of his colleagues to a four-month jail term for blockading the road of gold mining firm PT Indo Muro Kencana (IMK), a subsidiary of Australian mining firm Aurora Gold, the local Banjarmasin Post daily reported.
The Court said that the road blockade had caused IMK to suffer financial losses and had affected foreign investors confidence in the region.
In June 1999, a group of villagers started to blockade the IMK road in Simpang Permata, Mangkalisoi village, Tanah Siang sub district in a protest to demand compensation for the land acquired by the company.
But the Court said that the road blockade was made in a mining site which was part of the IMK's 47,962 ha gold mining site.
The paper said that the villagers would study the verdict whether to accept it or make an appeal. (*)