The legality of Rio Tinto's Citra Palu mining activities in C. Sulawesi questioned
Thursday, April 19 2001 - 06:30 AM WIB
The Central Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) said that planned gold mining activities by PT Citra Palu Minerals (CPM) in areas inside the Poboya People's Forest Park in Palu mayoralty, Central Sulawesi, had not yet secured a license from BKSDA as the authority to protect the people's forest parks in the province.
The head of BKSDA Central Sulawesi office, HZ Hudiyono, told Antara in Palu on Wednesday (April 18) that the company had even conducted exploration activates in the area without consulting his office.
"Since conducting gold exploration activities in 1998, this company has never coordinated with us. All of sudden, it conducted drilling activities in a number of points in this people's forest park," Hudiyono said.
"I myself is confused with the presence of PT CPM that is so eager to exploit for gold in Poboya. In fact, when the company conducted a public expose last year, the chairman of Central Sulawesi Legislative Council, the forestry office and BKSDA agreed to
reject the company's planned gold mining activities in Poboya," he added.
At that time, Hudiyono said, CPM -- that planned to mine for gold in a 500-hectare area inside the Poboya
People's Forest Park -- asked local authorities to relocate the people's forest park, but if the authorities refused to relocate, the company promised not to continue its mining activities and leave from the area.
But Hudiyono vowed that his office would never allow any mining activities inside the people's forest parks. "Herewith I say, BKSDA vehemently rejects gold mining activities in people's forest parks."
The head of the Central Sulawesi Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedalda), Said Awad, supported Hudiyono's claim and said that CPM may not continue its gold mining activities inside Poboya People's Forest Park.
"Legally, Poboya People's Forest Park is a conservation area, whose functions may not be changed, including for gold mining area for CPM," he said.
He also questioned CPM's exploration activities in Poboya, noting that the company had not secured a document on environmental impact analysis.
According to the Indonesian Environmental Forum's (Walhi) Central Sulawesi office, PT CPM had conducted drilling activities in the concession areas 28 days before the license to conduct such activities was issued.
CPM, that secured a contract of works from the central government on March 17, 1997, got the license from the directorate general of forest conservation and natural resources preservation to conduct mining exploration on Sept. 28, 1998. But the company started its drilling activities on Sept. 3, 1998.
Based on Walhi's investigation, CPM conducted drilling in 11 points of locations, three of which were located inside the Poboya People's Forest Park.
Poboya People's Forest Park, covering areas in Poboya village in Palu mayoralty and Biromaru district in Donggala regency, is estimated to contain around 60 tons of gold ores.
PT Citra Palu Minerals (CPM) is 90% owned by Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto Group and 10% by Arlia Karyamaska
Rio Tinto earlier announced that it had reached conditional agreement to sell its stake at PT CPM to another party pending for the government approval to continue exploration of the prospect.
PT CPM activities were postponed in June 1999 because its area of operation was designated a Tahura (Grand Forest Park) based on Ministerial Decree No. 24/KPTS - II/1999 dated 29 January 1999. (*)