Pertamina's rig in Aceh burnt by fire
Tuesday, January 23 2001 - 04:30 AM WIB
Several oil rig facilities of the state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina in the Tanjong Seumantok village, Karang Baru sub district, in East Aceh was burnt by fire last Tuesday, causing the company some Rp 2 billion (US$1=Rp 9,400) in losses, the local Serambi daily reported..
The paper quoted on Sunday company public relations officer in East Aceh Ahmad Zahruddin as saying that the causes of the fire had not yet been known, adding that the police was still investigating the case.
But Ahmad dismissed speculation that the fire was set up by a certain group of people. He said that the oilrig facility was tightly guarded.
The oil rich Aceh province has been hit by unrest since the downfall of former authoritarian president Soeharto in 1998, as militant groups in the province have demanded a separation from Indonesia. (*)