U.S. companies in Indonesia remain clam despite threats

U.S. companies in Indonesia remain clam despite threats

JAKARTA (JP): Major U.S. companies operating in Indonesia are
remaining calm despite the growing threats made against Americans
in the country.

Two oil and gas companies, ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia Inc., and
PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia, and mining company PT Freeport
Indonesia, said that they would continue to monitor the security
situation seriously, but they had not yet considered evacuating
their employees.

"We (will) continue to monitor security conditions in
Indonesia and throughout our region, and we will take such steps
for the protection of ExxonMobil employees, contractors and
property as may be appropriate to the situation," Julia Tumengkol
told the Jakarta Post..

She added that ExxonMobil employees and its contractors were
of paramount importance to company management.

"We have no plans at this time to require expatriate employees
or their families to relocate out of Indonesia, " she said.

However, the company was organizing a voluntary program for
dependents who wished to temporarily return to their home
countries, Julia said.

ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia Inc., a subsidiary of American giant
ExxonMobil Oil Inc., is one of the largest gas producers in the
country, with its operations mainly centered in the restive
province of Aceh.

ExxonMobil has about 50 foreigners among its 1,300 employees.

Threats against Americans and U.S. assets in countries with
large Muslim populations, including Indonesia, have been
increasing following the U.S. government's ultimatum that it
would attack Afghanistan for its refusal to hand over Osama bin
Laden, who has been accused by the U.S. government of
masterminding Sept. 11's devastating attacks on New York and
Washington.

U.S Ambassador to Indonesia Robert S. Gelbard issued on
Thursday for the second time a travel notice for all American
citizens in the country to consider their personal security
arrangements and, if necessary, consider leaving the country.

Separately, Caltex spokesman Renville Almatsier said that the
company continued to maintain its heightened security measures,
which had been boosted after the U.S. attacks.

"However, all of our staff are working normally, including our
foreign employees. None of them are taking holidays or being
evacuated because of the rising tension," he told the Post.

Last week, Renville said Caltex had urged foreign workers to
stay in the operation areas for their own safety unless it was
necessary to go out.

He also said Caltex had intensified identity card examinations
at every entrance gate of its strategic business units in Riau.

Caltex has also asked the police and military to contribute
additional personnel to guard its oil fields, Renville said.

Caltex, whose operations are concentrated in Riau, accounts
for more than half of the country's 1.3 million barrel per day
oil output. The company has a workforce totaling 5,200, including
120 foreigners, most of whom are Americans.

Siddharta Moersjid, a spokesman for PT Freeport Indonesia, a
subsidiary of New Orleans-based Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold
Inc., also said that his company, so far, had only asked its
employees to increase their awareness about the latest situation.

"It's still normal, and we haven't given written guidelines
yet to our employees," he told the Post.

Freeport, the largest gold and copper mining firm in the
country, operates its mine in Irian Jaya province. It has about
90 foreign employees out of a total of 9,000 workers.

Meanwhile, Major General Mahidin Simbulon, Chief of the
Trikora Military Regional Command in Jayapura, the capital city
of Irian Jaya, was downbeat about the growing threats against
Americans throughout the country, saying he doubted anything
would happen in the province.

However, he pledged to safeguard the facilities of Freeport
from any threats, saying any disruption to the company would also
affect the Indonesian economy.

He added that the military had dispatched a special unit to
protect the facilities.

Meanwhile, Gelbard was quoted by chairman of the House of
Representatives' Commission I for security affairs, Ibrahim
Ambong, as saying that at least eight American companies had
threatened to relocate overseas if the situation continued to be
uncertain.

Ambong was speaking to the press following a consultation
meeting between the House and Gelbard on Friday.(iwa/rms/35)