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)