Govt to meet House to seek approval on mining in forest area

The government is scheduled to meet with the House of Representatives Commission III on forestry affairs Wednesday afternoon (at 2 p.m. Jakarta time) to seek for approval over a Cabinet decision to let 15 mining companies resume their mining activities in areas designated as protected forests, a senior government official said.

Director General of Geology and Mineral Resources Wimpy S. Tjetjep told Petromindo.com that the government had previously obtain the approval of the House Commission VIII on mining and energy affairs.

The approval from the two commissions were necessary to make the Cabinet decision effective.

Meanwhile, a source said that once the approval of the House commission had been obtained, a Presidential Decree that would effectively allow the 15 mining firms resume their activities would be issued within a week time.

The Presidential Decree would change the status of the concession areas of the particular mining firms from a protected forest status into a production forest status.

Forestry Law No. 41/1999 bans open-pit mining activities in protected forest.(Alex)