Newcrest asks for people's forest parks
Wednesday, March 7 2001 - 04:30 AM WIB
The Central Sulawesi administration has refused a proposal from PT Newcrest Mining Group Indonesia to mine for gold in East Palu area because it belongs to the people's forest parks.
According to the director of Tana Merdeka Foundation, Arianto Sangadji, Central Sulawesi governor Aminudin Ponulele turned down the proposal after getting some inputs from environmental non-governmental organizations.
"The governor agreed that gold mining exploration may not destroy the people's forest parks. He will not even issue his recommendation for the disposal of forest areas without any environmental impacts study," Arianto said.
He praised the governor's autonomous decision in protecting the forests.
Aminuddin, a former Central Sulawesi Legislative Council speaker, has told mining investors that his administration would not let people's forest parks to be mined because it will affect the lives of people in the surrounding areas.
Newcrest Mining has secured licenses, through a number of its subsidiaries, to explore for minerals in 200,000-hectare areas in Central Sulawesi. The subsidiaries are PT Puncakbaru Jayatama, PT Woyla Aceh Minerals, PT Newcrest Nusa Sulawesi and PT Nusa Halmahera Minerals.
Newcrest Mining's regional external manager Subandoro said that his group had approached local administrations to allow companies under the group to conduct mining activities in some parts of people's forest parks.
"The license to dispose the people's forest parks lies with the governor. So, we will beg again to the governor. But the areas that we want to mine has actually been included in our mining concession stipulated in the licenses we got several years ago," he said.
He refused to disclose the problems between the company and the governor.
He said the company's 200,000-hectare mining concession areas are spread in different areas in Central Sulawesi. One of the most potential mining sites is located in Poboya, in East Palu mayoralty. (*)