Thousands stage protest outside Indorayon
PORSEA, North Sumatra (JP): Ten thousand locals, religious leaders and student activists demonstrated on Saturday demanding the closure of PT Inti Indorayon Utama pulp and rayon mill.
Under the watchful eyes of thousands of security personnel, the protesters formed a long parade as they peacefully marched the 10 kilometers to the outskirts of Porsea, where the listed company's plant is located.
The demonstrators came from neighboring towns such as Balige, Parapat, Palipi, Pangururan, Siborong-borong and regency capital Tarutung. They claim the plant is environmentally hazardous and should therefore be closed.
All roads leading to the plant were filled with a sea of men and women holding national flags and banners reading "Reject audit", "Close down Indorayon" and "Indorayon poisons Samosir islanders", among other claims.
Locals have staged a series of demonstrations over the last few months to protest the reopening of the pulp factory last October.
The government allowed the mill to resume operations following a temporary halt in order to let an official team audit the company. The team's findings would help the government determine whether the plant should be closed down permanently.
However, the independent team, led by state-owned PT Sucofindo, has yet to audit the company.
Locals have opposed the audit, saying it was common knowledge that the mill had caused environmental deterioration in its 10 years of operation and therefore an audit was unnecessary.
Sixty-two percent of the company's shares are owned by Singaporean company Asia-Pacific International Resources Ltd. which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, while 38 percent is owned by the public, cooperatives and Raja Garuda Mas Group.
Audit
Locals say that in addition to causing a bad odor over a 10- kilometer radius, the company also felled trees in North Tapanuli, causing rivers to dry up and the water level of Lake Toba to drastically fall.
Rev. Miduk Sirait, chief of the Toba Batak Protestant Church in Porsea, said local religious leaders joined the demonstration out of concern for the suffering the pulp mill caused locals.
"The people here have suffered much and the plant's presence has damaged the Batak people's culture, plus the environment has badly deteriorated," he said.
Maralo Hasibuan, a preacher of the Indonesian Christian Church shared Miduk's view, saying the company had no other alternative but to close down the factory.
Almost all shops and kiosks in the small town were closed in fear of fresh clashes between demonstrators and security personnel.
The demonstrators dispersed gradually after being denied access to the plant by security personnel. The demonstration lasted six hours. (21/rms)