South Kalimantan?s Tapin regency invites big foreign coal investors

The Tapin regency administration in South Kalimantan is inviting big foreign investors to mine the coal resources in the region, local daily Banjarmasin Post reported Wednesday.

Tapin regent Knach Noor Adjie said he would rather invite big foreign investors to mine its regency?s coal resources than small and medium investors because the former had better facilities and capabilities to protect the environment.

?Large-scale investors can pay greater attention to environmental destruction because they have more sophisticated technology,? the regent was quoted by the daily as saying.

He said he was encouraged to invite big foreign investors to mine the area?s coal resources after holding a talk with environmental expert Koesnadi Hardjosoemantri on the ways to minimize the environmental damage caused by coal mining operations.

Koesnadi recommended the regency invite big foreign investors because they were more capable to protect the environment, the regent recalled.

As the first step to invite such investor into the regency, the regent said, the regency would send a trade mission to China, South Korea and Japan from Aug. 28 to Sept. 5.

Aside from coal resources, the trade mission will also unveil to investors in the three countries the investment potentials in the regency. (*)