PT Inco offers expatriate staffs to leave Sulawesi
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.