Govt denies charges of human rights violation at IMK gold mining site
Friday, June 16 2000 - 04:00 AM WIB
The Ministry of Mines and Energy has denied charges that the authority had used violence in the recent curbing of illegal miners at the mining site of gold giant PT Indo Muro Kencana (IMK ) in North Barito regency in Central Kalimantan.
In a press statement, the Ministry said that 15 people were detained by the North Barito police, but there were not violence in the measure. The statement also said that six had become a suspect in the violation of Law No. 11/1967.
The statement said that the houses of the illegal miners were destroyed, but stressed once again that there were no violence. The statement said that the authority had first informed the illegal miners of the measure.
The Ministry said that all of the measures had been conducted in accordance with the existing regulation and standard of procedure.
The Ministry also said that each family of illegal miners were given Rp 30,000 for transportation to return to their own villages.
The prominent environmental watchdog Walhi and mining watchdog Jatam had earlier accused the authority of resorting to violence and of human rights violation in the recent eviction of illegal miners from the IMK mining sites.
Thousands of illegal miners had occupied the mining sites of IMK over the past several months.
But activists said that they were not illegal miners, but traditional miners who had been mining in the area long before IMK entered the province. (*)