Environment Minister "not cooperative" in Buyat case
Tuesday, October 5 2004 - 02:59 AM WIB
The director executive of Indonesia Center for Environmental Law (ICEL) told the press on Monday that the minister's refusal to become a witness in the Buyat case would not only damage his own credibility but also the country's legal supremacy.
He said that if Nabiel could not take part in the legal proceedings only because he had not received a permit from the President, the reason was not relevant. Separately, an executive of another environment organization Walhi, Raja Siregar, said that the protective attitude of Nabiel had damaged his own credibility as the government's high ranking official.
"It is quite improper to show such a kind of attitude to the public," he said. Recently, the police arrested six Newmont executives including Richard Ness, William Long, David Sompie, Phil Turner, Jerry Koujansow and Putra Wijayantri for their alleged involvement in the Buyat case.
Ness has been released due to his poor health condition.
The operation of Newmont Minahasa Raya's submarine dumping ground in the Buyat bay had been again under the public's scrutiny after a number of residents living near the disposal area were reported to have suffered ailment syndrome similar to the deadly Minamata diseases suffered by Japanese people living near the heavily polluted Minamata bay.
Both Minister of Environment and Minister of Health have said that the mercury and arsenic content in the sea near the tailing dumping site were still below the minimum limit, and that the disease suffered by the residents were merely common skin disease. (*)