Tanjung Pinang Police discover toxic waste<\/p>\n
Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Tanjung Pinang<\/p>\n
Tanjung Pinang police officers on the island of Bintan, near
\nSingapore have discovered thousands of tons of hazardous waste
\nand arrested the regency council speaker over his alleged role in
\nthe case, a senior police officer has said.<\/p>\n
The senior officer with the National Police headquarters,
\nInsp. Gen. Jonny Yodjana, said the police had conducted chemical
\ntests on the waste allegedly brought from Singapore, and the test
\nresults showed that the material was hazardous waste.<\/p>\n
It was proven that the material, which has been a toxic dump
\nsite since 2001, contained dangerous chemical substances such as
\nmercury and arsenic, that could not easily be converted into non-
\nhazardous material.<\/p>\n
The material could cause breathing problems for those who
\ninhale the material for long periods of time. Earthworms and
\nother insects vital to the decomposition of other waste were
\nnowhere to be seen. \"Three people have been detained for there
\nalleged roles in dumping the toxic waste,\" said Jonny without
\nelaborating.<\/p>\n
Chief of the Riau Islands police, Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul
\nAlam, said that the case was discovered recently when a
\nsubdistrict head in the Teluk Bintan area reported it to police
\nlast month.<\/p>\n
The police visited the dump, but some of the people involved
\nin managing the dump denied that the material was hazardous
\nwaste. They said that the materials would be used to produce
\ncompost for natural fertilizer.<\/p>\n
\"However, after laboratory tests, it was found out that the
\nmaterial was hazardous waste,\" said Anton.<\/p>\n
The police general claimed that most of the material was taken
\nfrom Singapore by a company called PT Biotech Riau. The company
\nalso happens to be owned by the speaker of the Tanjung Pinang
\nlegislative council, Bobby Jayanto. The police have detained him
\nalong with Ikwat and A Hong, the company's employees, due to the
\ncase, said Anton.<\/p>\n
The material, which looks like soil, is piled up in an open
\nfield some 50 kilometers south of Tanjung Pinang port.<\/p>\n
The three people will likely be charged with violating the law
\non the environment, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years
\nin jail.<\/p>\n
Separately, Ikwat, the operations manager of PT Biotech Riau,
\nsaid that the company had a permit from the Riau Islands
\ngovernment in order to bring the material into Indonesian
\nterritory. \"The chemical substances are materials for producing
\ncompost fertilizer,\" said Ikwat. He said that his company bought
\nit from a Singapore company called Meng Wa.<\/p>\n
A similar case also recently surfaced on nearby Galang island.
\nToxic waste from Singapore was dumped on Galang and remained
\nthere until State Minister of the Environment Rachmat Witoelar
\nvisited the area recently and ordered the waste be re-exported to
\nSingapore.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tanjung-pinang-police-discover-toxic-waste-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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