Gold mining in Batang Gadis opposed
Gold mining in Batang Gadis opposed
Apriadi Gunawan, Medan
The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has demanded
that the government stop gold mining in the Batang Gadis National
Park, Mandailing Natal regency here, saying that it would damage
the environment in the area.
Mining firm PT Sorikmas Mining (PT SM) was granted a license
to mine gold in parts of the national park in 1998, and the
company has been exploring the area since then.
Herwin Nasution, the executive director of Walhi's North
Sumatra chapter, said that the decision to grant the mining
license to the company violated Law No. 41/1999 that prohibited
mining in protected forests.
"If mining really takes place in the national park, an
environmental catastrophe will certainly happen in the area. If
this happens, it will be a disaster for the communities living
near the national park, as they may be victims of floods and
landslides," he said on Monday.
The NGOs, including Walhi, have stepped up pressure on the
government to put an end to mining activities in protected
forests, following flash flood in Bahorok, North Sumatra, which
killed over 140 people last year.
The incident raised awareness among people that forests have
to be protected to prevent repeated flash floods and landslides
in the future. Not only the NGO, but local people have also
become aware that forests are important as catchment areas.
Recently, local residents in Mandailing Natal, who live along the
banks of Batang Gadis River, demanded that the local government
name a forest near the river as a national park, or Batang Gadis
National Park.
The demand by the local residents was accepted by the
government and even President Megawati Soekarnoputri herself was
ready to declare the forest a national park.
The inauguration ceremony, to be led by President Megawati
Soekarnoputri, was set for Friday last week, but it was canceled
indefinitely. The reason behind the cancellation was unclear.
Having declared the forest a national park or conservation
area, the government can lawfully arrest and prosecute illegal
loggers who fell trees or hunt rare species in the area.
Separately, chief of the mining office of the North Sumatra
administration Washington Tambunan confirmed that the company was
granted the mining license in 1998.
Under the contract, the company is allowed to mine gold in the
area for 40 years and it can be extended.
The contract was left in limbo in 1999, after the government
and the House of Representative agreed to issue a law that
prohibited companies from operating in protected forests.
But, the government issued a decree in-lieu of law early this
year to allow all companies that signed mining contracts before
1998 to continue mining activities in their respective areas.
PT SM is a joint venture company, with some 70 percent of its
shares owned by Australian businessmen.
Despite the protest, Washington believed that the company
would preserve the environment. "They are bound by the contract
to help preserve the environment. I believe they will honor it,
otherwise we will terminate the contract," he said.
B. Thomas, a senior geologist at the company, asserted that
the company would still operate in the area, despite the protest.
He said that the company had been awarded the contract, and
all parties concerned in Indonesia had to honor the contract.
He added that the company had spent US$3.6 million on
exploration alone.