Illegal miners told to go back to farming

Central Kalimantan Governor Asmawi A. Gani said the estimated 20,000 illegal miners in the province must withdraw from the illegal mining activity by returning to farming or go to the so-called People's Gold Mining (WPR).

Asmawi said that the new WPR contained enough gold for the traditional miners to do their activity legally.

"The site is different from the former one at Ampalit, East Kotawaringin, where there is no longer any gold because the company which controlled the site has take out all of the gold ore," he was quoted by the Indonesian Observer daily as saying.

Asmawi was speaking in a dialogue session held to socialize the new presidential decree issued by President Abdurrahman Wahid recently in a bid to end the rampant illegal mining problem in the country, which had discouraged foreign investors and caused serious environmental damage.

One of the most high profile case relating to illegal mining activity is the occupation of the gold mining sites of PT Indo Muro Kencana (IMK) in the North Barito regency in Central Kalimantan province by local illegal miners.

The people, who had occupied part of the more than 47,000 ha mining sites for months now, claimed that the land traditionally belong to them.

The Palangkaraya based Kapos daily said that the new Presidential decree to end illegal mining activity seemed not to discourage the protesters at IMK sites.

Andreas J. Udang of the YDSB local NGO said that the miners would not move to the WPR provided by the local administration because the area was no longer productive.

There's now increasing fears of possible bloodshed if the local security apparatus take strong action against the illegal miners at the IMK's mining sites.(*)