Sarwono against highway project

Sarwono against highway project

JAKARTA: A former state minister for the environment has
called on the government to cancel the Ladia Galaska highway
project in Aceh as it might endanger the lives of Acehnese by
damaging the ecosystem on Mount Leuser.

"Please understand the project will only bring harm to many
Acehnese people in the future. They will possibly suffer water
shortages like those in Java if the project continues," the
former minister, Sarwono Kusamaatmaja, who served during the
administration of President Soeharto, told a press conference on
Friday.

The Ministry of Settlements and Regional Infrastructure signed
a contract with a developer on June 3 on the highway project
despite opposition from several ministers, non-governmental
organizations and the international community.

The development of the 1,586-kilometer project began with a
three-kilometer section in Jamat Lokop, East Aceh completed in
1999. It was later postponed for a while after strong opposition,
including from the European Union.

The proposed highway starts on the west coast of southern
Aceh, passes through Gayo and Alas, and ends on the east coast
facing the Straits of Malacca, in North Sumatra.

A section of the road, however, would cut through Mount Leuser
National Park, which has been named a world heritage site. The
park is home to around 300,000 species. -- JP