Newmont pays no care on environment: Activists charge

Local green activists have expressed concern over the negative attitude of PT Newmont Minahasa Raya's executives against the environmental charges addressed to the company, Kompas daily reported on Wednesday.

Chalid Muhammad, the coordinator for the Mining Advocacy Network for Centra Java, said in Jakarta on Tuesday that executives of the United States-based mining company blindly denied all environmental charges issued during the mining giant's shareholders meeting in Colorado recently.

"It is very disappointed that a big company like Newmont has paid a little commitment in environmental issues," Chalid told the press about the attitude of Newmont executives during the company's annual shareholders meeting.

Chalid and several green activists as well as Anwar, a resident living near the Buyat Bay where Newmont Minahasa Raya dumped its tailings, join the shareholders meeting to express their protests. Activists from other countries such as Peru and the Phlippines where Newmont have its operation also lodged their protests during the meeting.

"Anwar form the Buyat Bay told the company in the meeting that since the use of the Buyat Bay as the company's dump ground, the income of the local fishermen have declined by over 50 percent," he said. They also said that the river used by the company to channel its mineral tailings to the bay has been badly polluted, causing a skin disease to local villagers.

Chalid said that the company's executives denied all the charges. "They said the decline in the fish catch has not been caused by the company's waste but due to over fishing," Chalid, describing their response as not only being too defensive but also illogic. (*)