NMR-Buyat Bay capers continue

NMR-Buyat Bay capers continue

Tony Hotland and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The government's advice to the people of Buyat village in North
Sulawesi to reduce their consumption of fish and water from Buyat
Bay has apparently fallen on deaf ears, with local people saying
they have no alternative.

"We have no choice. Clean water is limited and fishing has
been our safety net. Support from the government is barely
visible and we can do nothing else but to consume what we
have ... contaminated water and fish," said Rasyid, a Buyat
resident.

On Wednesday, along with three other Buyat residents, Rasyid
had the chance to meet with State Minister for the Environment
Rachmat Witoelar and Minister for Health Siti Fadillah Sapari,
and shared with them what life has been like at the village since
the residents accused gold miner PT Newmont Minahasa Raya (NMR),
whose parent company is the U.S. Newmont Corporation, of
polluting Buyat Bay with its mining tailings.

"Clean water that was once provided by Newmont, and which we
also had to pay for, stopped coming. Water supplies from local
agencies are unreliable, and we use it only for drinking
purposes. So where's the support from the central government?"
asked Rasyid.

In addition, he said access to health services had become more
difficult as doctors at the nearest clinic, which was donated by
NMR, were rarely present and medicines had become scarce, yet the
number of residents suffering ailments continued to grow.

The Buyat Bay case hit the headlines several months ago when a
number of Buyat residents claimed to be suffering various
diseases allegedly caused by toxic tailings dumped into the bay
by NMR since 1996.

Residents have reported a number of ailments such as skin
lumps, continuous bleeding, and vomit containing blood, which
they claim is the result of consuming fish and water from the
bay.

Test results from a variety of different bodies have yielded a
variety of results, however the government recently declared the
bay to be polluted and accused NMR of being responsible. This
followed a research report undertaken by a government-sanctioned
team that asserted that the bay was polluted.

But despite the government's statement, the situation in Buyat
has yet to change. "We still have to pay for health services even
though the government has declared that we've been contaminated,"
said Rasyid.

Several activists, accompanying the four residents, claimed
things had in fact got worse, with the local administration
doubting the joint team's research results and refusing to
provide better health services for the Buyat residents.

Health minister Siti responded by saying that the government
would treat the situation as an "extraordinary event", meaning
that the government would provide maximal funds and support to
rehabilitate the area.

Siti ordered state-owned Kandouw Hospital in the regional
capital of Manado not to charge a single rupiah to Buyat
residents, and also promised to supply clean water to the area.

Elsewhere, Minister Rachmat said he had sent a team on
Wednesday to evaluate Buyat Bay and its surrounding areas for
relocation purposes. There are about 300 residents in Buyat.

"We plan a relocation, but it's still in its early stages. In
the meantime, we're going ahead with our legal action to bring
Newmont, and possibly former government officials, to court," he
said.

Rachmat added that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
supported the legal steps being taken and gave an assurance that
the case would not affect badly-needed foreign investment, but
rather would fortify Indonesia's reputation as an environmentally
friendly nation.

Five high-ranking Newmont employees have been declared
suspects in the alleged pollution case.

"We will press for criminal charges against the five employees
and then move on with a civil law suit against the company," he
said.