Lanna Harita, cooperatives urged to work together

Samarinda Mayor Achmad Amins urged coal mining company PT Lanna Harita (LHI) Indonesia to work together with local cooperatives which had claimed control over some 60 hectare land located in LHI?s mining area in the Sungai Siring area, East Kalimantan, the local Kaltim Post daily reported Thursday.

The paper quoted Achmad as saying that if the dispute between the two parties continued, it could turn into a very bad situation.

He also said that the special local government team was expected to come to a conclusion on the status of the disputed land.

LHI has been involved in a row with several local cooperatives over the disputed land. LHI claims that it has obtains the necessary licenses from the central government and local government over the land, but the cooperatives also claims that they have the license to mine the area.

Last week some people from the cooperatives were badly beaten by the security guards of LHI when they tried to stop the company from excavating work in the disputed area.

LHI has accused that the cooperatives had been backed up by certain investors to take over the land with the coal resource beneath.(*)