Fishermen protest to Pertamina

Fishermen protest to Pertamina

CILACAP, Central Java: Hundreds of fishermen in Donan
subdistrict here have protested to state oil company Pertamina
for allegedly polluting the river from which they making their
living.

The fishermen went to the local legislature to seek its
support for their fight against Pertamina, which for some time
has been dumping waste from its refinery in Cilacap into the
Donan river.

"There's been a lot of fish killed due to the pollution. This
is costing us our livelihoods," one of the fishermen said, adding
that the river water had turned black and turbid.

The legislative council speaker, Fran Lukman, promised to
summon Pertamina officials for a dialog with the fishermen.

A spokesman for the oil company, Husni Banser, told The
Jakarta Post on Monday that Pertamina had taken measures
recommeded by environmental experts to keep the river clean.

"But we will take into consideration the fishermen's
complaints," he said. -- JP