Governor asks people not to disturb Caltex's oil block operations
Monday, August 6 2001 - 10:42 AM WIB
"The people of Riau should peacefully air their demands and not disturb the company's activities or damage their equipment," Saleh told Antara after attending the Riau Students Congress in Pekanbaru, Riau, on Sunday.
He was commenting on the results of a gathering of people from Riau earlier on Saturday, which recommended that people blockade the firm's site to demand the company and the central government hand over the Coastal Plains Pekanbaru (CPP) Block oil fields to the people.
Caltex's contractual agreement with state oil company Pertamina to operate the CPP Block will end on Aug. 8 and the central government has endorsed the contract's extension for another year.
The governor said he considered the results of Saturday's gathering as an expression of the locals' struggle in securing their rights on the management of the CPP oil fields.
"Such a struggle is important, even a must, as oil is the Riau people's main asset in financing the province's development programs," he said.
He said he expected that the planned protest would not turn into anarchy as that would only jeopardize the general public and tarnish Riau's image abroad.
When asked about the decree issued by President Megawati Soekarnoputri allowing the contract's extension in the absence of a requirement for the company to provide compensation for the local people, Saleh said the idea to demand compensation was only recently decided.
"It's difficult to press the central government to endorse the people's demands for a compensation fund, especially when the Cabinet is on the way out," he said.(*)