Result of Buyat investigation will be announced on Wednesday

The Office of the State Minister of Environmental Affairs will announce on Wednesday (tomorrow) the conclusion of the "integrated" investigation into the alleged pollution caused by North Sulawesi-based gold mine operator PT Newmont Minahasa Raya's undersea tailings in Buyat bay, the Investor Daily Indonesia reported on Tuesday.

The investigation has been carried out by an "integrated" team involving governmental and non-governmental representatives.

Non-governmental agencies, such as Walhi and Jatam, hoped that the results of the investigation would provide comprehensive and more reliable information about the issue.

"The investigation by the integrated team which covers not only aspects related to biology but also those related to physics, chemicals and the livelihood of the people living near the bay is the most complete compared to other investigation works," Walhi's spokesman P. Radja Siregar said on Monday.

According to Walhi and Jatam, the result of the study made by CSIRO and WHO announced by Newmont to the public could mislead the public because it was carried out only to find out if the people living near the Buyat bay were suffering Minamata disease.

"So it would be unfair to claim that the Buyat bay is free from pollution," Siregar said. (*)