Villagers occupy Caltex?s oil collection station

At least 80 residents have illegally occupied the oil collection station owned by oil giant PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia at the Rimba Melintang village in the Tanah Putih district, Bengkalis regency for causing pollution to the nearby river, Media Indonesia reported.

The daily reported that the residents accused the oil giant of dumping its oil waste to the river, causing a major pollution. The villagers, who used the river not only for bathing but also as the main source of their drink water, demanded the company to pay compensation.

According to the residents, the oil waste dumped by Caltex into the river not only caused pollution to the river but also to their farming areas. Many residents said that they suffered skin diseases after bathing in the river.

Poedyo Oetomo, a spokesman for the oil company, acknowledged that the villagers? blockade of the oil collection station but he denied that the pollution was caused by the company.

He said that the oil collection terminal, which is used by Caltex to collect crude oil from around 30 oil wells in the area, and also to separate gas from the collected oil, dumped the oil waste to a canal linked to the river.

He said that the waste dumped into the canal is periodically controlled by surveyor company Sucofindo and the local environmental office to ensure that the oil waste dumped into the canal do not exceed the tolerable limit.

"Based on an investigation, the oil waste which has polluted the river did not come from Caltex?s station. It has a different specification with that of Caltex oil," he was quoted as saying.

Poedyo said occupation had ended in Wednesday and .crude production was not affected(*)