Unocal?s exploration activities guarded by the police

At least 150 police members have been deployed to guard PT Union Oil California (Unocal) oil exploration activities at the Makassar Strait following a threat from local residents to halt the activities, Kompas daily reported on Saturday.

The chief of the police in Tangarong, Kutai, East Kalimantan, Wagner Damanik said that the offshore seismic survey conducted by the American oil company in the area had received a strong protest from the local fishermen.

He said that the fishermen mostly living near the coastal area in Muara Jawa ? Samboja blamed that the massive use of explosives in the exploration activities had caused a sharp decline in their catch.

On Wednesday, over a hundred of the local fishermen staged a protest, demanding the company to halt the exploration activities or pay a compensation of Rp 3 million for every boat they have. But their demand was rejected. The protest was the second since Unocal started its exploration activities in the Makassar Strait.

Unocal Indonesia spokesman Sutavijaya confirmed the use of the police. He said that the company was forced to seek the police?s help because many fishermen who were involved in the protest carried sharpened weapon. (*)