Kalla refuses compensation
Kalla refuses compensation
Asip A. Hasani, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
Shipping company PT. Kalla Lines and Yogyakarta fishermen have
failed to reach a compensation agreement for environmental damage
allegedly caused by the sinking of a company tanker off Congot
beach, Yogyakarta province last year.
"Based on our study as well as satellite photography, there
has been no significant damage in the water caused by our
submerged tanker," Kalla Lines operations director Ramadhan said
during negotiations at the Yogyakarta branch of the Regional
Environmental Impact Management (Bapedalda).
Ten fishermen representing hundreds of their colleagues from
Kulonprogo, Bantul, and Gunung Kidul attended Thursday's meeting,
which was chaired by Bapedalda representative Tirun Marwoto.
The tanker, KMT. Bumi Sarana, containing 1,500 tons of asphalt
sank last July in Congot beach, Kulonprogo, some 50 kilometers
southwest of Yogyakarta.
Sumaryo, a fisherman from Kulon Progo regency, said that the
sinking of the tanker had caused a significant drop in daily
catch figures, with income dropping from Rp 400,000 to Rp 100,000
per boat per day.
"The tanker sank right where most of the fish live, causing
them to move away," he said.
Sumaryo and his friends demanded PT. Kalla Lines pay
compensation totaling Rp 14.5 billion.
"The remains of the tanker has frequently caused
damage to our casting nets as it is only 50 meters from the
water's surface," Sumantoyo, another fisherman from Bantul
regency said.
Teguh Purnomo from non-governmental organization Indonesian
Environmental Forum said that PT. Kalla Lines, under the umbrella
of its holding company Kalla Group, should remove the tanker as
it could damage the area's ecosystem.
Despite the deadlock, however, they agreed to form a small
team comprising four fishermen, a representative of the
Association of Indonesian Fishermen, and an environmental
observer.
"We will arrange negotiations between the team and
directors of PT. Kalla Lines," Ali Abbas from Kalla Group said.