East Kalimantan imposes moratorium on mining permits

At the end of his four-year tenure, East Kalimantan Governor Awang Faroek Ishak has finally bowed to pressure from non-government organization and environmental activists to stop issuance of new mining and plantation permits, Kaltim Post reported.

The government issued an instruction letter last week asking all the heads of the regencies in East Kalimantan to stop issuing new permits for mining operation and palm oil plantations.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Governor Awang said that the issuance of new permits for mining operation and palm oil plantations should be temporarily stopped.

?I also ask all regents and mayor in the province to audit all the existing permits,? he said, adding that the audit would be needed to cope with the growing mining dispute resulting from overlapping mining areas in the province.

The moratorium of new mining permits was imposed because of the large number of overlapping mining areas. Many mining concessions overlap one another because many mining permits were issued not in accordance with the standard procedures required by the law.

According to the local national land office, at least 742 mining locations overlap one another.

NGOs and environmental activists have called on the East Kalimantan government to stop issuance of new mining permits to reduce the environmental degradation caused by coal mining operation. (*)