Investor opens mining area in protected Bukit Soeharto

A mining firm has developed a coal mining area in the Tanah Merah forest conservation area, part of the Bukit Soeharto in Kutai Kertanegara, defying the forestry law which prohibits open-pit mining activities in the protected forests, Kaltim Post reported on Monday.

Sources said that the mining area was being developed by mining firm PT Satria Corp which had carried out land clearance covering about 5 hectares. The company has left the place but it is not uncertain whether the company will return to the area or not.

The Bukit Soeharto is rich in coal deposit and this has prompted the regent of Kutai Kertanegara regency to open the restricted area for mining operation. Despite opposition from environmental organizations, the coal deposits, according to a survey, are not economically feasible for commercial purposes.(*)