Walhi protests governor proposal

PADANG, West Sumatra: An environmental group has issued a statement in protest over West Sumatra Governor Gamawan Fauzi's decision to issue a letter of recommendation to the central government to grant 49,440 hectares of forest concession to a plantation company.

Chairman of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment's (Walhi) West Sumatra chapter, Agus Teguh Prihartono, said on Thursday that having filed the recommendation, the governor had bypassed a team of experts and government, which was studying whether the company deserved the concession.

"The governor filed the recommendation saying that the team of experts approved the concession, while in fact, we the team have not yet completed the study. We deplore the governor's actions," said Agus.

The forest concession in question is located in Siberut Island, in the Mentawai group of islands. The letter was sent on Sept. 5 to the Ministry of Forestry and in the letter, the governor asked the minister to allow plantation company PT Salaki Summa Sejahtera to operate on Siberut Island.

The newly elected West Sumatra governor could not be contacted for comment on Thursday. -- JP