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ahdlatul Ulama (NU)'s Jember chapter has issued an edict banning state-owned and private companies from mining manganese and iron in Jember, arguing it poses an environmental threat.

The chapter's chairman, Abdul Samsul Arifin, said the edict was issued following the unclear stance regarding a plan to mine iron in the protected forest area near Paseban Beach, Kencong district, Jember regency, East Java.

"Mining activities in the area will damage the protected forest that the local people have reforested for years to protect them from the threat of tsunami," Abdul told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

He added that experience shows that local communities did not prosper from mining activities rather it brought misery, thanks to the damage to the environment that it caused.

On Monday, hundreds of people grouped under the Paseban community movement refusing mining (GMPMT) and the Indonesian National Students Movement (GMNI) flocked to the Jember legislative council to protest against plans to mine iron in Paseban.

Sholeh, one of the protesters, said the plan to mine the 490 hectare beach plot would not just damage the protected forest, but would also threaten their farms and plantations as well as local sea life including turtles. He said the beach was one of few places where turtles lay eggs.

Gatot Priyanto, another protester, said the plan threatened hundreds of fishermen living in the region.

Abdul said his organization had repeatedly lobbied the local authority to abandon the plan but so far no clear answer was given.

"We also urge the local authority to say no to the plan to mine manganese and gold in the protected forest of Pace sub-district, Silo district, Jember, belonging to the state-owned forest management company PT Pehutani," he said.

He added that although Jember Regent Djalal had withdrawn mining licenses for the 20-hectare area in the protected forest, five mining companies were still operating in the region.

An NU ulema, Abdul Qadim said the companies were still conducting the mining activities because of recommendations by the regency legislative council and Trade and Industry Agency for a postponement of the license withdrawal.

Muchid Arif of Silo sub-district said a number of the regency administration's agencies had even been goading the local community with the promise of job opportunities with high wages as well as infrastructure development programs for the respective sub-districts.

The regency administration, similarly, has been promoting the mining potentials through its website, www.pemkabjember.go.id, along with the infrastructure to be develop to attract investors.

Separately head of Jember Trade and Industry Agency Hariyanto admitted that his office had granted an exploration license to PT Agtika Dwi Sejahtera (ADS) to mine iron in Paseban. "PT ADS has promised to contribute a monthly income of Rp 200 million at the minimum to the regency administration. The administration *has the right to* withdraw the license if its activities prove to be causing loss to the people," Hariyanto said.