PT Inco offers expatriate staffs to leave Sulawesi

Fitri Wulandari and Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Makassar, South Sulawesi

Mining company PT International Nickel Indonesia (Inco) has offered its expatriates an opportunity to leave the mining site in South Sulawesi following a travel advisory from the Australian and Canadian embassies.

"We will allow those who want to leave Sulawesi to follow the travel advisories," Sri Kuncoro, Inco's director of government relations told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Kuncoro said the advisories did not mention a specific threat to the Inco facility.

"But they do advise travellers to avoid traveling in Indonesia," he said.

A number of expatriate staff members have said they wanted to leave South Sulawesi, Kuncoro said.

"But it may be just for a vacation," he added.

Kuncoro did not give the exact number of expatriates working at the company. PT Inco, a local unit of Canada-based Inco, employs some 2,900 people including expatriates.

Kuncoro said most of the expatriates also had family members living with them in South Sulawesi.

Canada has renewed its warnings against traveling in Indonesia. They said there have been reports of planned terrorist attacks against facilities and places related to western interests.

The Australian Embassy on Monday issued a travel advisory and specifically mentioned Sulawesi.

"In light of a specific credible terrorist threat to western interest in the areas around and between the cities of Soroako in South Sulawesi and Salonsa in Central Sulawesi, Australians are advised to avoid all travel to these areas until further notice," it said.

"Those Australians already in these areas are advised to depart," the advisory added.

Inco's mining site is located in Soroako, some 100 kilometers from Poso in Central Sulawesi where a sectarian conflict from 1999 to 2002 has heated up once again.

Ruslan Muhadi, Inco's spokesman in the mining site confirmed that a number of Canadian employees had applied for reentry permits at the Makassar immigration office.

He declined to mention the reason. But sources said Canadians were concerned over their safety following threats from an unknown group through email or short messages on cellular phones.

"It is only temporary. They will come back to Indonesia," Ruslan told the Post.

The Makassar immigration office confirmed it had received applications for reentry permits from Canadian citizens working at the mining company.

Abdul Malik, the immigration spokesman said there are 60 Canadians working at PT Inco.

At the mining site, Inco has boosted security by increasing the number of police officers to 50.

In normal times, there are 30 police officers from North Luwu police and Mobile Brigade from Pare-Pare, in addition to internal security.

Elsewhere, Ruslan said security in Inco had been normal as well as the mining activities and operation.

"There has been no disruption to the company's activity. The company's (smelter facility) operates as usual," he said.