Deputy energy minister to visit Bima

Deputy Energy and Natural Resources Minister Widjajono Partowidagdo has planned to visit Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, to meet with mining stakeholders in the region, following the revocation of a mining permit by the Bima regent.

“I want to meet with them so we can talk about the issue objectively,” he said Saturday as quoted by tempo.co.

Widjajono said he would invite the local administration, residents and mining companies to the meeting.

He said the dispute among stakeholders over mining activities deemed threatening to the environment had occurred due to a lack of dissemination by the local administration of mining activities.

Bima Regent Ferry Zulkarnain revoked on Saturday PT Sumber Mineral Nusantara’s (SMN) mining permit in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, after an angry mob set his office and several other office buildings on fire on Thursday.

A group of residents from Lambu, Sape and Langgudu districts staged a protest over the handling of December’s deadly clash at Sape port on Sumbawa Island in front of the Bima regent’s office on Thursday. Two protesters were allegedly killed by police during the clash in December when police attempted to disperse the demonstrators, who were demanding the revocation of the mining permit for environmental reasons. (swd)