Kalimantan villagers plan another massive protest against PT KEM

Representatives of more than 5,000 villagers living in nine districts in West Kutai regency, East Kalimantan threatened to hold another massive protest if gold mining company PT Kelian Equatorial Mining (KEM) continued to refuse to pay compensation to them, Kaltim Post reported on Tuesday.

The villagers who claimed themselves as the victims of the gold mining company's operation have demanded a compensation payment of Rp 17 million each due to the loss of business opportunities because of the company's 20 years mining operation, which is now in the process of closing down.

In addition, the villagers also demanded a payment of Rp 2.32 million for the land used by the company. "We will hold another massive protest at the front of local regent's office, if we are still unable to receive the promised money," he said.

Last week, the local regent promised to persuade PT KEM's management to pay the compensation after the villagers staged a massive protest in front of its office. During the protests, which took place for several days, the protesters had also taken the regent's deputy as hostage to force the local authority to hold a negotiation on the compensation payment with PT KIM.

"Where are the money. We have been waiting for so long but the promise has never been fulfilled," one of the villagers' representatives said. (*)