Supreme Court rejects lawsuit against Lapindo

The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) against Lapindo Brantas Inc. for what the plaintiff claims as neglect of the rights of thousands of mudflow victims in Sidoarjo, East Java.

The Supreme Court's spokesman Nurhadi told Antara state news agency Thursday that the court's panel of judges, led by Paulus Lotulung, Ahmad Sukardja and Imam Subekti, handed down the verdict on April 3.

Supreme Court's verdict is not immediately available to the public.

The YLBHI sued the government and Lapindo Brantas for what it claimed was their violation against the rights of the mudflow victims. The YLBHI demanded that the court declare the government and Lapindo guilty of neglecting the victims? economic, social and cultural rights.

Lapindo is at the center of the mudflow crisis. The mudflow, a result of Lapindo's drilling activities, submerged more than a dozen villages and displaced tens of thousands of people.

The Central Jakarta District Court argued that the government and Lapindo had taken enough measures and spent enough resources to take care of the victims. (*)