Students demand govt to provide Natuna with gas, oil revenue

A group of students from Natuna regency in Riau has demanded the central government to provide the regency with part of the revenue from local gas and oil resources, the Kompas daily reported Monday.

The paper said that the students group, called the Indonesian Natuna Students Action (Kamni), has recently met with Riau Governor Saleh Djasit, and provincial legislative council to state their demand.

The group had previously tried to meet with Finance Minister Boediono but failed.

The protesting students group said that according to the existing regulation, oil and gas producing area should receive a 30 percent revenue from the exploitation of the resources, but in the case of Natuna, the regency did not get any because the resources were located more than 50 miles from the coastline.

?We?ll not stop fighting to obtain the revenue from oil and gas,? said Zaharudin, coordinator of the students grouping.

Natuna is said to have one the world?s largest gas reserves. Several leading oil and gas firms including Conoco Indonesia of the U.S., Premier Oil of the United Kingdom, and Gulf Indonesia Resources of Canada have exploited local gas resources and exported them to Singapore and Malaysia.

Elsewhere, the students grouping have also criticized oil and gas companies operating in the regency for giving so little for their community development program in the area.(*)