House regrets Newmont closure
Monday, April 10 2000 - 02:30 AM WIB
Members of the House of Representatives have regretted the Tondano district court's decision to shut down PT Newmont Raya Minahasa's (NRM) gold mining by April 16, Republika daily reported on Monday.
Iwan Prayitno, the chairman of the House Commission VIII, which is in charge of mine, energy and investment, said on Saturday that the court's decision to close down the mining operation, was irrational.
He feared that the court's decision could become a bad precedent to foreign investors' operations in the country.
"The court decision is irrational and does not reflect the interest of the whole people," Iwan said. The court should impose penalty or fine on the company if it was found guilty, not the closure order, which would only hurt investors but also the local government it self because by shutting down the company's mining operation it would lose an important source of its income.
He promised to seek a clarification from the local government about the closure order and, if it is possible, the House Commission VIII would review the decision to ensure that the closure was ordered out due only to political interest of some persons. (*)