Kotabaru seizes heavy equipment from illegal miners

A number of heavy equipment has been seized during an operation against illegal coalmining activities in Kotabaru regency, South Kalimantan, Banjarmasin Post reported on Thursday.

The chief of the local police Taufik Nurhidayat said on Wednesday that the heavy equipment were used by illegal miners at a coalmining area owned by PT Arutmin Indonesia.

The police seized three units of heavy equipment at a mining area in the Sei Danau district and three dump trucks at another mining area located at the Batulicin district.

?Owners of the heavy equipment left the mining location before the police arrived. It seemed that an information on the operation had been leaked to them,? Taufik said.(*)