Kalimantan’s police foil attempt to attack coal mining firm

The South Kalimantan police have successfully foiled an attempt by at least 80 armed villagers to attack coal mining company PT Bahari Cakrawala’s office and mining facilities on Sebuku island in the province’s Kotabaru regency, Neraca daily reported on Saturday.

The chief of the Kotabaru police, Tjetjep Agus Supriyatna said in Kotabaru on Friday that the 80 Dayak residents armed with machetes and knives hailing from the neighboring district of Kampang were escorted to the local police office immediately after they descended from the ship, which carried them from their villages.

Tjetjep said that the residents who came to the Sebuku island to help their colleagues in the island to attack the mining company’s office and facilities agreed to surrender their machetes and knives after receiving an explanation from the police officers.

The mining company has temporarily stopped its operation amid threat and protest from villagers.

The local residents had demanded the company to pay certain amount of fees to surrounding villages on grounds that the mining operation had caused serious damage to the environment. The company has so far rejected the demand.(*)