Students go on hunger strike to demand pulp mill closure
Students go on hunger strike to demand pulp mill closure
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra
Twenty-five students began a hunger strike on Monday during a
rally in the grounds of the North Sumatra provincial council to
demand the permanent closure of pulp and paper mill PT Toba Pulp
Lestari (TPL), which they accuse of causing serious pollution.
The strike by the 25 university students from the People's
Voice Alliance (ASURA) came as thousands of elementary and high
school students in the North Sumatra regency of Porsea entered
the second week of student strike.
Hunger strike coordinator Golap Silaban said the 25 students
were demanding that Jakarta permanently shut or relocate TPL,
formerly known as Inti Indorayon Utama.
He said the students, three of whom were women, came from
Porsea, the regency protesters say is most affected by TPL's
pollution.
He added the hunger strike was part of a series of protests
against Jakarta's decision to reopen the pulp mill after it was
closed down in response to local protests in 1999.
Last week, elementary and high school students from 21 schools
in Porsea refused to attend school, defying police calls to give
up the strike.
They pledged to continue the strike until Jakarta responded to
their demands for TPL's closure. Local police have condemned
their parents and teachers for backing the strike.
But the animosity toward TPL is deep rooted among many in
Porsea, where some have lost their lives in clashes with TPL's
security personnel.
Golap said local farmers and fisherfolk had seen their
earnings decline due to pollution they said was caused by TPL.
"The people's economy is deteriorating as a result of poor
harvests in terms of quality and quantity."
"People have suffered from various skin diseases, respiratory
infections, the level of Toba lake has fallen drastically, and
the fish population is depleted," he said.
Golap added that people living near the mill had also
complained about the loud noise and foul odor emanating from the
plant.
TPL however denied charges of causing massive environmental
destruction. A 1994 environmental audit by Labat-Anderson had
concluded that the company met all environmental standards and
that its forestry operation posed a negligible pollution threat.
The company is a unit of the Radja Garuda Mas business group.
TPL began operating in June 1980, and has since been
constantly criticized by locals complaining about the
environmental destruction it was causing.
Its US$600 million timber estate and mills have an annual
capacity of 180,000 metric tons of dissolved pulp and 60,000 tons
of rayon.
The company's rayon plant has been mothballed since TPL
suspended operations in 1999.
The pulp and paper mills resumed operating last month but at
less-then-full capacity.
TPL was allowed to reopen after it promised to further tighten
its environmental compliance, and improve its community
development programs so as to better ties with local residents.
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra
Twenty-five students began a hunger strike on Monday during a
rally in the grounds of the North Sumatra provincial council to
demand the permanent closure of pulp and paper mill PT Toba Pulp
Lestari (TPL), which they accuse of causing serious pollution.
The strike by the 25 university students from the People's
Voice Alliance (ASURA) came as thousands of elementary and high
school students in the North Sumatra regency of Porsea entered
the second week of student strike.
Hunger strike coordinator Golap Silaban said the 25 students
were demanding that Jakarta permanently shut or relocate TPL,
formerly known as Inti Indorayon Utama.
He said the students, three of whom were women, came from
Porsea, the regency protesters say is most affected by TPL's
pollution.
He added the hunger strike was part of a series of protests
against Jakarta's decision to reopen the pulp mill after it was
closed down in response to local protests in 1999.
Last week, elementary and high school students from 21 schools
in Porsea refused to attend school, defying police calls to give
up the strike.
They pledged to continue the strike until Jakarta responded to
their demands for TPL's closure. Local police have condemned
their parents and teachers for backing the strike.
But the animosity toward TPL is deep rooted among many in
Porsea, where some have lost their lives in clashes with TPL's
security personnel.
Golap said local farmers and fisherfolk had seen their
earnings decline due to pollution they said was caused by TPL.
"The people's economy is deteriorating as a result of poor
harvests in terms of quality and quantity."
"People have suffered from various skin diseases, respiratory
infections, the level of Toba lake has fallen drastically, and
the fish population is depleted," he said.
Golap added that people living near the mill had also
complained about the loud noise and foul odor emanating from the
plant.
TPL however denied charges of causing massive environmental
destruction. A 1994 environmental audit by Labat-Anderson had
concluded that the company met all environmental standards and
that its forestry operation posed a negligible pollution threat.
The company is a unit of the Radja Garuda Mas business group.
TPL began operating in June 1980, and has since been
constantly criticized by locals complaining about the
environmental destruction it was causing.
Its US$600 million timber estate and mills have an annual
capacity of 180,000 metric tons of dissolved pulp and 60,000 tons
of rayon.
The company's rayon plant has been mothballed since TPL
suspended operations in 1999.
The pulp and paper mills resumed operating last month but at
less-then-full capacity.
TPL was allowed to reopen after it promised to further tighten
its environmental compliance, and improve its community
development programs so as to better ties with local residents.