Newmont president releases press statement
Wednesday, September 22 2004 - 01:19 AM WIB
BUYAT, 2004-09-21 - It is difficult to express in words the disgust that we feel regarding the false allegations made concerning Newmont Minahasa Raya operations and the health of the villagers at Buyat Bay. It is not true that NMR operations have affected the quality of the water or the health of the villagers. I repeat - that is not true.
We live in that area. Our children attend the schools in that area and we do eat the fish and shrimp from those waters. We will not expose the villagers to unsafe or environmentally unsound practices nor will we expose ourselves or our families to an unsafe situation. Scientific evidence, that we can make available to you, proves very clearly that the water quality in Buyat Bay meets standards as high as or higher than the standards set for sea garden quality water. Our operations and their impact have been reviewed, monitored and inspected both internally and externally by independent groups. The results clearly show that we are not impacting the quality of the water or the fish in Buyat or elsewhere.
We, like you, feel a great sense of sorrow at the death of anyone and certainly so at the death of an infant. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the family of baby Andini. We hope that the truth of this matter comes out. It will show that whatever the tragic situation was that caused the death of the baby - it was not NMR. We have heard that the baby Andini died of malnutrition and a lung infection, that is a matter for expert doctors to confirm, doctors directly involved in the treatment and examination of the baby. As part of our commitment to the community we actively participate with the government and community in various health programs.
Although we are not aware of widespread health problems at Buyat, we also hope that a review of the medical condition of the villagers in Buyat and Ratatotok will be conducted. If there are health problems in Buyat and Ratatotok, they were not caused by NMR. The root cause should be determined and the government should lead efforts to correct the underlying causes thereof. We do not believe that Minamata disease is evident at Buyat and strongly encourage the government to immediately conduct an investigation to determine the truth this libelous allegation.
I would also like to make a few additional points. While it is true that some of the ore processed by NMR is naturally enriched in mercury, PTNMR's process plant is equipped with an engineered mercury scrubber that efficiently removes mercury as a byproduct. That mercury is stored and accounted for in compliance with Indonesian standards for hazardous materials. Regular monitoring of our tailings and Buyat Bay demonstrates that the tailings comply with Indonesian standards and does not impact the waters of Buyat Bay.
Additionally, arsenic is found in the ore processed at NMR. Some of that arsenic is deposited with the tailings in Buyat Bay. That arsenic is in a stable form and does not leach into the water nor is it absorbed by animal life. Monitoring clearly shows that the levels of arsenic in the seawater at Buyat are in compliance with sea garden water standards. As part of NMR's mine closure program a special measuring monitoring device has been placed into the sub sea tailings to monitor mercury, arsenic and other heavy metals. That device shows that the tailings are not and will not become a source of elevated mercury or arsenic in the waters of Buyat Bay.
All Newmont operations in Indonesia not only comply with Indonesian requirements concerning health, safety and commitment to the community but aim to achieve standards of excellence. We do not play games in these areas and practice a degree of openness and transparency seldom seen. (end of statement)