Miner faces jail for using dynamite

BOGOR (JP): Prosecutor Amir Hakim Nasution asked Bogor District Court yesterday to sentence Istiqomah, 37, to seven months in jail for using dynamite to mine for stones in Rengas Jajar village in Cigudeg district here.

Istiqomah, chairman of the Serbaguna cooperative in Cigudeg, used dynamite to blow up the mine three times a week between 1996 and 1997, Amir said.

The prosecutor conceded that the defendant had a permit from the Bogor regent to conduct stone mining on a one-hectare area. "But the permit bans the use of dynamite."

He alleged the defendant conducted mining activities over about 20 hectares without having the necessary permits.

Besides damaging the nearby environment, the defendant's activities also endangered the lives of local people, he said.

"The defendant violated Article 1 Chapter 64 of the Criminal Code on the illegal use of dynamite." (24/hhr)