North Sulawesi Governor calls Walhi, Newmont to settle differences

North Sulawesi Governor Adolf Jouke Sondakh called on independent environmental watchdog Walhi, and gold mining firm PT Newmont Minahasa Raya (NMR) to sit together to settle their differences.

"The differences will be difficult to be settled if there are no efforts by the related parties to meet," Adolf was quoted as saying by the local Manado Post daily.

Adolf was responding to the current dispute between Walhi and NMR.

Elsewhere, Adolf said that if NMR was proven to have polluted the environment with huge impact, the company should be closed down.

Walhi has demanded the closure of NMR because the tailings waste material disposed by NMR into the Buyat Lake had created serious environmental problem. The government via the Ministry of Environmental then launched a special team to verify the Walhi findings.

The head of the North Sulawesi office of the ministry of mineral resources and energy Washington Tambunan said that the Walhi study did not used the acceptable standard of parameter, and methodology.

NMR then told the press about the conclusion of the government verification team that there was no environmental damage caused by NMR's operation.

But Walhi immediately protested NMR's statement, accusing the company of twisting the statement of the government verification team to mislead the public.(*)