Newmont ad misleading

Media Indonesia and The Jakarta Post published on Oct. 14, about a quarter of a page of an advertorial entitled WHO study concludes no contamination at Buyat. Newmont has also been publishing the same conclusion in a number of international mass media publications, particularly in the United States, for several days now.

The statement in this advertorial gives an erroneous impression to the readers that the WHO study concluded there was no contamination in Buyat Bay. Comparing the press release of the Indonesian health ministry and Newmont advertorial will show that Newmont has come to a different and exaggerated conclusion.

The result of a WHO study and the press release of the health ministry do not make the same conclusion as the title of Newmont advertorial suggests. The press release of the health ministry does not conclude that there is no environmental contamination in Buyat Bay. Neither does it conclude that there are no health problems in the area around Buyat Bay. The WHO study, meanwhile, confines its conclusion only to the presence or absence of Minamata disease. This is in keeping with the scope of the study and the samples collected. For this study, only hair and water samples have been collected.

Before one can come to the conclusion, as implied in Newmont advertorial, the samples analyzed and the parameters employed in the analysis must be more comprehensive. It is necessary, for example, to test for all biological and chemical contaminants in Buyat Bay. Then, it is also necessary to measure the extent of exposure to heavy metals in water and in the air as well as following the consumption of a number of heavy metals. An integrated government team is indeed analyzing this feature. As is known, the health ministry has just planned to conduct a comprehensive health audit in and around Buyat Bay and its surroundings in the near future.

Therefore, the conclusion made in the Newmont advertorial published in a number of mass media publications to the effect that there is no contamination is both erroneous and unfounded. This advertorial is tantamount to publishing misleading information for the public. We hope Newmont is ready to clarify this matter and apologize to the public accordingly.

P. RAJA SIREGAR, National Executive, Board of WALHI, Jakarta