Villagers block road to Adaro?s office

Hundreds of villagers on Monday blocked the road to the office of coal mining company PT Adaro Indonesia in Dahai village, Paringing district, Balangan regency, South Kalimantan, according to local newspaper Banjarmasin Post.

When contacted by Petromindo.Com on Tuesday, Adaro?s administration manager Priyadi confirmed that the villagers blocked the access road to the company?s office.

The paper said the villagers protested the company?s decision to appoint PT Nawakara, reportedly a company from outside the area, rather than local firm PT Batara as the security coordinator of the mining company.

The blockage started at 9.30 a.m. local time and ended at 1 p.m. after the firm agreed to talk with the angry villagers.

In the afternoon, the paper reported the villagers ?understood? the appointment process of Nawakara but they still requested to the firm to give jobs to Batara.

Adaro?s operational manager Putu Sastrawan said the company would study the villagers? request but gave no promise to them, the paper said. (*)