Inco to take legal action against protesters

PT International Nickel Indonesia (Inco) said on Tuesday that it would take a legal action against a number of people who had illegally entered and occupied the company’s office in Makassar.

The company’s director for external relations, Edi Suhardi, said in Makassar that the case had been reported to the police. “We are now waiting for the result of the police investigation,” he said.

The incident began on Thursday when a number of people from local universities and non-governmental organizations entered and occupied the company’s office on Jalan Penghiburan in Makassar without permit to demand the company to pay compensation to the land of villagers in Pitea and Dongi villages used by the company. The protesters also demanded the company to pay compensation to about 245 workers laid off by the company in January.

Although the protesters had left the office on Monday evening, the office remained under the police’s protection.

Inco said that the demand made by the protesters was baseless because the company had settled the land dispute with the local villagers as well as the compensation to the workers affected by the company’s early retirement program. (*)