Six companies could be allowed to resume mining projects in forest areas
Tuesday, February 11 2003 - 07:31 AM WIB
Tachrir Fathoni, head of the forestry ministry?s information center, said in a press statement that projects of the six companies were among the 22 mining concession areas covered by the study.
The 22 contract areas had been suspected of overlapping protected forests. The government had proposed that projects in the areas be given the first chance to resume.
He said that the Forestry Ministry had succeeded to collect complete data about 18 of the 22 concessions, and that so far his office had been able to make final conclusion on concessions held by seven companies only. He did not say when conclusion about the remaining concessions covered by their study would be disclosed.
Of the six companies, Tachrir said, three held mining contracts in protected forest areas, parts of which could be changed into production forests based on the results of the ministry?s study. They were PT Weda Bay with 90,020 hectares of concession area on Mount Mirarong and Mount Tabobo in North Maluku regency, Maluku province; PT Nusa Halmahera with a contract of 398,600 hectares in Bukit Gauraja and Bukit Saolat in Central Halmahera regency, Maluku; and PT Gag Nikel with 13,140 hectres of concession on Gag Gag Island in Papua province.
Tachrir said that the other three companies could resume their projects in the whole area of their concessions because they were part of production forests. The companies were PT Galuh Cempaka with a contract of 3,920 hectares in South Kalimantan; PT Jorong Barutama with a concession of 14,720 hectares in South Kalimantan; and PT Barisan Tropical Mining with a concession of of 12,160 hectares in South Sumatra.
Meanwhile, Tachrir said the same study also concluded that another company, PT Citra Palu Mineral, could not be allowed to resume its projects because they were located in protected and conservation forest areas.
PT Citra Palu Mineral held a mining concession of 233,280 hectares in Central and South Sulawesi.
Tachrir further said: ?In principle, activities in forest areas which are still debated will be delayed.?
He added that open pit mining activities in protected forests were not allowed because they could cause area land dry and could lead to landslides.
The current law, Law No. 41/1999, disallows open pit mining in protected and conservation forest areas. In keeping with the law, issued in 1999, the government banned projects in such areas including those under licenses issued before 1999. (leo)