President to issue decree on resumption of mining projects in protected areas

President Megawati Sukarnoputri will likely issue a decree by December of this year to allow 13 mining companies to resume operation in protected forest areas, a government official said Monday.

"We expect that the President will issue the decree before the end of December," said Sutisna Prawira, head of the legal affairs and public relations section of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

The presidential decree, which will provide a strong legal ground for the 13 mining firms to continue their exploitation projects in protected forest areas, is being drafted based on recommendations from an inter-ministerial team. The President recieved the recommendations in June of this year.

Sutisna did not say why the decree would allow only 13 companies to resume their projects, while in fact the inter-ministerial team had recommended 15 firms.

He also did not mention the names of the 13 firms.

The 13 projects were among the 150 mining projects on protected and conservations forests affected by the implementation of Law No. 41/1999, which bans open pit mining in such areas.

Meanwhile, the 15 companies recommended to resume their projects in protected and conservation areas were PT Freeport Indonesia with its mining project in Papua, PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (W. Nusa Tenggara), PT International Nickel Indonesia (S. Sulawesi), PT Indominco Mandiri (E. Kalimantan), PT Arutmin Indonesia (S. Kalimantan), PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (Maluku), PT Karimun Granite (Riau), PT Nusa Halmahera (Maluku), PT Natarang Mining (Lampung), PT Meares Soputan Mining (N. Sulawesi), PT Nabire Bakti Mining (Papua), PT Meratus Sumber Mas (S. Kalimantan), PT Weda Bay Nikel (Maluku), PT Gag Nickel (Papua) and PT Citra Palu Mineral (S. Sulawesi). (godang)