Forestry Minister maintains ban on open pit mining
Tuesday, October 9 2001 - 03:21 AM WIB
?There will be no tolerance, open pit mining on protected forest is still prohibited,? Prakosa told an international seminar on mining policy in Jakarta.
Some investors had earlier hoped that Prakosa, reappointed as minister late in July, would ease the ruling, which is seen as one factor inhibiting mining investment in Indonesia as a great amount of mining reserves is located in protected forest.
Prakosa, however, said that open pit mining on protected forest was still possible under certain cases.
He said that the government would set up a special team to decide whether to allow mining companies which obtained the open pit mining license before the particular forest turned its status into protected forest.
He said that the special team would include people from his ministry, the ministry of mineral resources and energy, and stakeholders.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Eastern Indonesia Development Acceleration Manuel Kaisepo urged the minister of forestry to allow mining companies which had obtained the open mining license prior to the new ruling to proceed with their mining plans.
He said that mining investors played crucial role in the economic development of the eastern part of Indonesia as the government did not have to first develop expensive infrastructure to attract them.
Manuel was also speaking in the same seminar, sponsored by the ministry of mineral resources, World Bank, and the Indonesian Mining Association (IMA). The two-day seminar will end Wednesday. (Alex)