Mine incident exposes feud between Antam, illegal miners<\/p>\n
Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor<\/p>\n
\"From the beginning I didn't want my husband to become a
\ngurandil, because I know how risky it is digging for gold in
\nPongkor Mountain. But kang Eman insisted, he said he wanted to
\nget some money for a ceremonial meal to celebrate my seventh
\nmonth of pregnancy.<\/p>\n
\"It breaks my heart recalling how he often didn't eat anything
\nfor days up there because we had nothing.\"<\/p>\n
Twenty-year-old Elah was talking about her late husband, who
\ndied in a fatal accident along with several other gurandil, or
\nillegal gold miners, inside state mining company PT Aneka Tambang
\n(Antam)'s gold mine in Bogor regency. The incident took place on
\nMarch 3.<\/p>\n
So far, a search and rescue team has recovered the bodies of
\nnine illegal gold miners and one Antam employee, all asphyxiated
\nby thick smoke inside the mine. The rescue team says that it
\nappears that another four bodies are still inside the mine.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Bogor Police investigating the
\naccident questioned 27 witnesses, three of them illegal gold
\nminers, and the rest Antam employees.<\/p>\n
\"We have yet to name any suspects in the case as we are still
\ntrying to find the exact source of the smoke,\" police operational
\nhead Comr. Heri Santoso said.<\/p>\n
Eman was one of the few original residents of Pangradin 1
\nvillage in Jasinga district, 80 kilometers from the town of
\nBogor, who earned their living from illegal gold mining.
\nPangradin 1, along with neighboring Pangradin Girang village, is
\nknown as a gurandil village.<\/p>\n
Nowadays, most of the villagers who turn their hands to gold
\nmining are migrants from Banten, Sukabumi, Tasikmalaya and
\nJampang Surade. Many even come from outside Java island, while
\nmost of the original inhabitants of the village prefer to earn a
\nliving as farmers or ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers.<\/p>\n
The migrants obtain residential status in the area by marrying
\nlocal women.<\/p>\n
Eman was previously employed at a gold processing shop in
\nCiguha village, Bantar Karet, Nanggung district, where he was
\npaid Rp 15,000 (US$1.76) per day.<\/p>\n
He earned Rp 200,000 on his first time out as a gurandil, but
\nthat was the only time he earned that much money.<\/p>\n
\"My husband put his life in God's hand. But I cannot accept it
\nif he died because smoke was deliberately pumped into the mine
\nshaft,\" said Elah, who now lives with her parents and one-year-
\nold son, Haerul.<\/p>\n
Wawan, who comes from Jampang Surade and was a close friend of
\nEman, said they always checked out sites that had been mined by
\nAntam workers to see whether there was any gold left.<\/p>\n
\"We dig 'rat holes' to get into Antam's upper Level IV tunnel,
\nwhich can take up to four hours. We only have hammers to dig with
\ninside Pongkor Mountain. But patrolling company workers often
\nbeat us, and sometimes even seal the holes while we are inside.\"<\/p>\n
Another gurandil said that each group of illegal miners had to
\npay up to Rp 2 million to security guards to be allowed to enter
\nthe mine.<\/p>\n
\"They beat us if we don't pay, and even if we do pay they
\nstill beat us .... But they always play dumb when accidents like
\nthis happen. To them, we are nothing but a swarm of rats,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mine-incident-exposes-feud-between-antam-illegal-miners-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}