Residents share grief, delight with Newmont

Residents share grief, delight with Newmont

Jongker Rumthe, The Jakarta Post, Manado

"I don't want to speak if it's just to find fault with PT Newmont
Minahasa Raya (PT MNR). The company has been providing a job for
my husband, but he has stopped working for the past two days due
to the closure of the company.

"After the closure, my husband will be forced to return to
farming and fishing to make ends meet. My two children and I have
to meet family needs by searching for minnows," said villager
Mery Tumundo, 39, wife of Herly Tumundo who formerly worked for
PT NMR as a contract laborer at Buyat Bay, South Minahasa
regency, North Sulawesi.

Mery expressed her grievances, representing other residents in
Buyat village, who became jobless after the company ceased
operations on Aug. 31, 2004.

Her husband had worked for a contracting company that once
handled a number of tasks for PT NMR, such as road and building
construction, reforestation and land reclamation projects.

However, he and other workers have had to stop work. Based on
existing data, PT NMR employed 700 people in its mining
operation, but only 40 of them are now there.

Of the 700 workers, 80 percent were local residents of North
Sulawesi, and 75 percent of these were recruited from Buyat and
Ratatotok villages.

"Most of the employees recruited by the company were from
Ratatotok and Buyat, not to mention those who worked for our
contractors," NMR external manager David Sompie, accompanied by
public relations manager Pretty Mamonto, said last Saturday at
the gold mining plant in Ratatotok village, Belang district in
Minahasa.

Actually, the company needs about 200 workers now for
demolition work at the plant, which will take about six months to
complete. The work was suspended, however, pending court
settlement of pollution charges against PT NMR.

The closure of the gold mine has had a significant impact on
the lives of Buyat residents, numbering 73 families, or 280
people.

Buyat Beach environment head, Alan Makalalag, 44, said the
condition of this fishing village had previously been deplorable
in terms of its environment, being surrounded by swamps and mud,
and with no public facilities at all.

With the coming of PT NMR in 1996, dredging works were carried
out, and the village is no longer swamped by water.

The company also provided clean water facilities and paved
every lane in the village, as well as building an auxiliary
community health center.

"Frankly, PT NMR has assisted in developing Buyat village. The
company has paved all the roads and established a kindergarten
school and health center.

"The company has also drilled wells, so that local people
could enjoy free, clean water. However, when it was handed over
to the Bolaang Mangondow regency administration, we now charged
Rp 250 (3 U.S. cents) for each 20-liter container," said
Makalalag.

The company also provided a school bus for children to their
schools in Ratatotok, he said, voicing concern that the
facilities could become damaged or even disappear when PT NMR
pulls out of the area next year.

Although there have been many positive impacts from PT NMR's
presence, other residents have denounced the company.

They accuse the U.S.-controlled gold mining company of only
causing disease for them by polluting their sea, where they are
finding it more difficult to catch fish.

A local fisherman, Sadam Muluenseng, 35, claimed that he and
his neighbors have to sail up to 60 miles from their village, and
stay for days at sea, in order to be able to catch fish with
higher economic value that they can sell in Manado, the capital
of North Sulawesi.

"We can no longer catch fish in Buyat Bay because the water is
said to be polluted. Tibo-tibo (fish brokers) won't buy fish
caught from Buyat Bay," said the father of one, adding that in
the past month his catches have continued to decrease.

Worse still, most local people refused to buy fish from Buyat
fishermen, even though they caught the fish in other areas.

The situation has worsened as they now have to buy instant
noodles to eat as a replacement for fish.

The Buyat residents also complained that they had to spend
more money buying fish in Ratatotok, where fishermen generally
own motorized pajeko fishing boats capable of catching fish in
more distant waters.

"We usually only eat instant noodles or vegetables from the
garden if we don't have any fish. We won't eat fish from Buyat
Bay," said local villager Synthia Modeong. Her remark was
confirmed by her neighbor Jufra Lombonaung.

The two said they did not dare to eat fish from Buyat Bay
since 2000, after having been told of pollution dangers by
activist Rignolda from the Kelola Foundation based in Manado.

When the pollution case surfaced in June this year, even more
local residents stopped consuming local fish.

But not all Buyat residents, such as Huslin Modeong and Mery
Tumundo, are fearful about eating fish caught in the area.

"We still eat fish from Buyat Bay and drink water from the
drilled well because there is no problem with that. But we don't
have money to continue buying instant noodles," Huslin said.

Buyat village has been a transit place for minnow fishermen
since 1978. Over the years, the place has gradually turned into a
village with many fishermen settling there.

In 1996, with PT NMR arriving in the area, people from various
places like Bitung, Kota Bunan and Minahasa started to fish and
establish houses in Buyat, while carrying out other economic
activities. It thus developed into a village.