Villagers blockade road to KPC mining site
Monday, May 8 2000 - 03:00 AM WIB
A group of villagers who claim to own some 57 ha of land in the Kabo Jaya sub district in East Kalimantan which is now part of the mining area of coal mining company PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) have blockaded the public road there and forbid KPC employees or cars to pass through to get to one of the company's mining location.
The Kaltim Post daily quoted the protesting villagers as saying that they would continue to blockade the road until KPC paid them some Rp 2.5 billion for the land the company acquired.
The villagers had earlier taken over a KPC car garage and a company rescue unit, which were located inside the dispute land site.
The local Tenggarong district court recently ruled KPC to pay the villagers for their land, which was acquired by the company.
KPC has appealed to the higher court over the Tenggarong ruling.
The Kaltim Post said that KPC was now using other road alternative to transport its employees to the mining site. (*)