Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya, Banyuwangi | Fri, 12/19/2008 10:59 AM
Despite strong opposition from community and environmental groups, the provincial government recommended issuance of an official permit for a gold mining concession in a protected forest area of Banyuwangi.
East Java Finance Agency chief Fattah Yasin confirmed that his office had made the recommendation to the Forestry Ministry, saying PT Indo Manunggal Niaga (IMN) had followed official procedures in its application, and that its environmental impact analysis (Amdal) had won an approval from the provincial environmental impact management agency (Bapedalda).
"PT IMN has also assured us of the mine's security with its sophisticated technology, and promises it will not damage the environment as it did in Buyat, Minahasa," Fattah said at a hearing with Commission E on the economy and environmental affairs here on Thursday.
The 1999 forestry law prohibits mining activities in national parks and protected forests, and according to a 2004 government regulation in lieu of law, only 13 mining companies are allowed to conduct mining activities in protected forest areas. PT IMN is not on this list.
The 1997 law on the environment stipulates that environmental impact analyses for any economic activities (including mining) must be conducted by regency/municipal administrations. IMN's Amdal was based on a field study conducted by a small team from the Banyuwangi regency administration and state-owned PT Perhutani and was backed up by Bapedalda, but the study's results have yet to gain the approval of the environment minister.
The Amdal was also accepted by Banyuwangi regional administration and with political support from the regency legislative council was used as the only consideration to provide a two-year permit in 2007 to explore the proposed mining site in Pesanggrahan district.
The regency legislature withdrew its political support for the mine last month as IMN met strong opposition from the local community and NGOs who said it had violated the law and would damage the environment both at sea and in the Gunung Tumpang Pitu protected forest which serves as a water catchment area for more than one million residents of the regency.
Bapedalda Amdal section chief Diah Susilowati said the gold mining operations would not damage the ecosystem even though its wastewater (containing cyanide and mercury) would be disposed of in Banyuwangi Bay, Indonesia's second most productive fishing area after Bagan Siapi-api in North Sumatra.
"IMN's wastewater will be neutralized under the sea within a radius of three kilometers, while fishermen will be 60 kilometers away from the wastewater outfall site," Diah said.
Banyuwangi councilor Khairullah, who accompanied community representatives at the hearing, countered the two government officials' statements, saying the government should conduct a comprehensive environmental study again to assure the people and activists that the mine would not damage the environment.
Pesanggrahan fishing association chairman Suryadi Ahmad said IMN had paid off members of the local community to win their support, but the latter would continue to oppose the mining activities.
"We will continue to oppose this until the government and IMN conduct a comprehensive study to show that the gold mining will not affect the livelihoods of some 14,000 fishermen in several districts around the bay," Suryadi said.
On Tuesday, more than 350 fishermen made a blockade at the mining site and dismantled a command post in their strong opposition to the mine. They threatened that more people would protest at the site until the company terminated its operations there.
An IMN government relations and community development officer, Yudhi Madjid, said his company had modern technology to extract the gold without impacting the environment.
Yuhdi also called on the police to protect his company in its operations proposed for 2009. (fin)
