Councillor supports ban on sea sand export<\/p>\n
PEKANBARU, Riau: A top Riau provincial legislator said on
\nSaturday sea sand exports from the region must be stopped because
\nthe disadvantages of the trade far outweighed its advantages.<\/p>\n
Zanzibar Nong, deputy chairman of the Riau provincial
\nlegislative assembly, said the income derived from sea sand
\nmining and exports could not compensate the losses they caused.<\/p>\n
\"Sea sand mining and exports are believed to have caused
\nenvironmental destruction and harmed the interests of local
\nfishermen. In other words, they are more disadvantageous than
\nbeneficial and therefore must be stopped,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia last year decided to stop sea sand exports after
\nallowing them for decades. The exports mainly used to go to
\nSingapore, which needed the sea sand to reclaim land from the
\nsea. Singapore paid only US$1.5 per cubic meter.<\/p>\n
A local community figure, Muhammad Buang, meanwhile also said
\nhe was strongly against sea sand mining and exports from the
\nregion because the activities had caused environmental damage.<\/p>\n
Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Rokhmin Dahuri,
\nafter meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Friday,
\nsaid he told the President the government should stick to the
\nprohibition for the sake of the country's territorial integrity.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Riau Governor Mohamad Rusli, who also met with the
\nPresident to seek her support on the same day, urged the
\nPresident to lift the complete ban on sand exports from Riau to
\nSingapore, assuring her that he was ready with a more
\nenvironmentally friendly sand quarrying system. -- Antara<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/councillor-supports-ban-on-sea-sand-export-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}