Dead miners worked illegally: Company

Dead miners worked illegally: Company

JAKARTA (JP): State-owned PT Aneka Tambang explained yesterday
that the five men who were killed at the Pongkor gold mine in
Bogor on Saturday were not its employees.

"The victims were not in any way connected to PT Aneka
Tambang," the mining company said in a three-paragraph statement
received by The Jakarta Post at 6:54 p.m.

According to the company, the accident at its project site,
which was in the process of being closed down, was primarily due
to the unauthorized activities of the illegal gold miners.

The men were acting "without the prior knowledge of PT Aneka
Tambang," the statement, which was sent by the public relations
firm Inke Maris & Associates, said.

Executives of Aneka Tambang were not available for further
comment.

But a reliable company source said that the mine shaft, which
caved in during the accident, did not belong to Aneka Tambang.

"The shaft was made by the illegal miners themselves," the
source, who asked for anonymity, said.

The five miners were killed early on Saturday morning and
their bodies were recovered the following day. Two other miners
were injured in the accident.

In yesterday's release, the company also expressed its regret
over the accident and promised to ensure "close supervision of
the site".

But controlling 4,058 hectares of Aneka Tambang's concession
land is not an easy job and the rough terrain tends to hamper the
movement of personnel, the release said.

The head of Nanggung subdistrict, Dadan Mulyadi, told the Post
on Sunday night that the five victims were part of a team of 11
night shift workers from Aneka Tambang.

He said that during their 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, seven
members of the team were assigned to work in the shaft. Two
miners managed to scramble free of the shaft and suffered minor
injuries.

"Heavy rain a few hours prior to the accident caused a
landslide at the site," he said.

The five miners were buried inside the shaft which was located
on a 590-meter-high hill near the Bantar Karet village, about 80
kilometers west of Bogor.

Dadan also said that he had been informed by Aneka Tambang
that all of the miners were insured.

Aneka Tambang's executives were unavailable for comment over
the weekend.

In the press release yesterday, the company said the accident
had "no adverse effect" on business operations and gold
production at the site.

But the firm called on other illegal miners at the site to
"discontinue illegal mining activities which disregard safety
measures and are dangerous to their lives and the environment as
well". (bsr)