Villagers to be relocated to make way for mine operation

Coal mining company PT Kitadin has received a permit from the government to relocate about 4,000 residents in the Kertabuana village in Tenggarong-Seberang, East Kalimantan to pave way for its mine operation, Kompas reported on Friday.

The daily said that the village, which covers an area of over 650 kilometers, is mostly occupied by immigrants from Lombok and Bali who moved to the area more than 20 years ago as part of the government-sponsored transmigration program.

Villagers who were contacted by the daily however said that they doubted that the soil in new location would be as fertile as the soil in the current location.

Community relations manager of PT Kitadin, a subsidiary of Thailand-based company Banpu, Tri Harjono, said that the company had offered a number of options as part of the relocation program.

But many villagers said that the option was not so attractive. The company, for example, offers 1:1 swap to the villagers. Under this option, the villages will get the same size of land and the same quality of houses in the new location as a compensation of their existing assets. (*)