Indominco accused of polluting farmland in E. Kalimantan
Tuesday, April 22 2003 - 03:02 AM WIB
Over one hundred villagers on Monday held a rally in Samarinda to protest coal producer PT Indominco Mandiri, which had been accused of polluting their farmland, local daily Kaltim Post reported.
The protesting villagers, who came from Tanjung Santan Village in Bontang, East Kalimantan, met with head of the provincial energy and mining office, Masrie Hadie. The villagers told the official that they could no longer cultivate their land because of pollution by tailings resulting from the mining operation.
"We demand the company to take responsibility," one villager said.
Masrie then promised the villagers that he would convey the complaints to the provincial governor and the minister of energy and mineral resources.
Indominco, which operates a coalmine in East Kalimantan, is wholly owned by Thai energy conglomerate Banpu Plc. It produces 3.5 million tons of coal annually. (*)