Jatam threatens Unocal with lawsuit
Saturday, March 25 2000 - 04:00 AM WIB
Non-governmental organization Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) has threatened American oil and gas company Unocal Indonesia Company with a lawsuit for making statement allegedly discrediting the non-governmental organization, Media Indonesia reported.
Jatam's national coordinator Chalid Muhammad said on Thursday the NGO's lawyer sent on Thursday a letter to Unocal demanding the company to withdraw its statement published in Republika daily on March 21 in one week.
Besides, he said, Unocal had to put a full-page apology in at least three national newspapers and two East Kalimantan's newspapers for three consecutive days.
"If Unocal can't fulfill the demand in one week after the issuance of this warning, we shall file a criminal lawsuit (against the company) with the police and civil lawsuit," Chalid said in a press conference.
Unocal earlier criticized Jatam for spreading misleading information that the company had caused environmental damage around its oil and gas operating site in Tanjung Santan, East Kalimantan.
The company also regretted that the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi) had been persuaded into believing Jatam.
Walhi's executive director Suwiryo Ismail, who accompanied Chalid in the press conference, said Walhi regretted Unocal's statement, accusing the company of trying to divert the public attention from the pollution it caused in East Kalimantan.
Tempo Interaktif reported that both Suwiryo and Chalid repeated calls for the government suspending Unocal's operations in Tanjung Santan.
They also demanded State Minister of Environment and other governmental institutions to investigate the alleged pollution caused by the company, noting that the laboratory tests by Sucofindo in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan showed that the company's waste had violated the standards set by the government.
Tempo Interaktif quoted Unocal's external affairs coordinator Erwin Lebe as saying that the company had not yet Jatam's letter of lawsuit threat.
He said he was shocked by Jatam's measure, noting that it was Unocal which should threatens Jatam with lawsuit for making a press statement on March 13 accusing the company of causing pollution.
Erwin said Unocal regularly reported the results of its waste tests to the East Kalimantan's environmental supervision agency (Bapedalda). The tests is conducted in accordance with the standards set by the government and reveals that the waste does not violate the maximum toxic level set by the government,
He said Unocal would not apologize to Jatam and was ready to face Jatam's lawsuit.
"We believe we are in the right positionm," Erwin was quoted by Tempo Interaktif as saying. (*)