Govt will seek $117 million in damages from Newmont

After having calculated the losses for two months, the government has finalized the figure of US$117 million, which it will seek through a law suit from the mining company PT Newmont Minahasa Raya (NMR) as compensation for the alleged pollution at South Minahasa in North Sulawesi, the Kompas newspaper reported in its Monday edition.

The value of the compensation was based on three considerations that the PT NMR ?s mining activities damaged local environment, social and economic life of the local people and their health.

?We will file this law suit next week (this week) at South Jakarta?s District Court,? Sudarsono, assistant deputy for environmental legal enforcement at the State Minister of Environment?s office, told the Kompas on Friday in Jakarta.

Due to the location of PT NMR?s office in South Jakarta, the government decided to file its suit at South Jakarta?s court.

Sudarsono said the government has involved several experts from economic, environmental, health, educational sectors as well as government and non-governmental organizations in preparing the law suit and the calculation of the damages.

Before filing the suit, the government has collected the data from the site.(*)