Government concludes Buyat Bay polluted<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
After long and exhaustive tests carried out by a number of local
\nand international teams, the government concluded on Wednesday
\nthat Buyat Bay, North Sulawesi, was indeed polluted and vowed to
\nhold the polluters responsible for the environmental crime.<\/p>\n
Speaking after a meeting with Vice President Jusuf Kalla,
\nCoordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab said the
\nbay contained high levels of metals and chemicals, and the
\ngovernment would file a law suit with the appropriate court.<\/p>\n
\"The recent verification of the government team's test results
\nhas confirmed that the bay is contaminated with arsenic, but we
\nwill leave it to the courts to determine the level of pollution
\nand who are responsible,\" Alwi told a press conference.<\/p>\n
Also attending the conference were State Minister of Research
\nand Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman and State Minister of the
\nEnvironment Rachmat Witoelar.<\/p>\n
A joint team of government officials, activists and police had
\nconcluded earlier through laboratory tests that the bay was
\nindeed polluted with excessive levels of arsenic and mercury.<\/p>\n
The people of Buyat have blamed the pollution on PT Newmont
\nMinahasa Raya, which is the only mining firm operating in the
\narea and which has been dumping its tailings into the bay since
\n1996.<\/p>\n
The team's test results were taken to the research and
\ntechnology office to be verified, and were confirmed to be
\naccurate in indicating that the bay was polluted.<\/p>\n
The verified results show similarities to tests carried out
\nindependently by the police.<\/p>\n
Newmont has persistently refuted the allegation, saying that
\nthe bay was not contaminated and that the metal levels were
\nwithin safety standards.<\/p>\n
Rachmat said the government would pursue legal recourse
\nagainst the mining firm if evidence arose that pointed to the
\nfirm's involvement in the pollution.<\/p>\n
\"I suppose the levels of arsenic and mercury are not that
\nmuch higher than the standard, but the people there are suffering
\nailments because of the pollution,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that the government would charge those responsible
\nfor the crime under Law No. 23\/1997 on environmental management.<\/p>\n
Violations of the law, especially those that cause death, are
\nsubject to a maximum 15-year sentence and a maximum Rp 750
\nmillion (US$84,270) fine. The law also allows the confiscation of
\nany profit gained by the guilty party through the violations.<\/p>\n
Also on Wednesday, lawmakers from the House of Representatives
\nCommission VIII for environmental, science and technology affairs
\nsaid the government should take into account the roles of
\nprevious administrations that should have monitored Newmont's
\noperations and their environmental impact.<\/p>\n
The legislators, who held a hearing with the joint team to
\nreview its test results, said the police should question
\nministers and officials who had a role in granting the company
\npermission to operate and in monitoring the company's management
\nof tailings.<\/p>\n
The police have detained six Newmont executives and recently
\nsubmitted their case files to the North Sulawesi Prosecutor's
\nOffice.<\/p>\n
Contacted separately, Newmont lawyer Luhut M. Pangaribuan said
\nthe firm would respect and act in accordance with the legal
\nprocedures taken against them.<\/p>\n
\"It's a problem of two different opinions, which brings us to
\nthe question of the methodology used. We stick to our statement
\nthat the metals in the bay's water and fish are within the safety
\nlevels and are therefore fit for consumption,\" Luhut said.<\/p>\n
He deplored the refusal of police to listen to facts and
\nstatements from experts put forth by Newmont, and said the police
\nwere being subjective and fanatic about their own pollution
\nclaim.<\/p>",
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