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After Jokowi’s visits, police probe coal mine deaths

After six years of delays, the East Kalimantan Police have named suspects in six deaths at depleted coal mine pits in Samarinda and Kutai Kartanegara

N. Adri (The Jakarta Post)
Balikpapan
Mon, June 27, 2016

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After Jokowi’s visits, police probe coal mine deaths

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fter six years of delays, the East Kalimantan Police have named suspects in six deaths at depleted coal mine pits in Samarinda and Kutai Kartanegara.

The investigation was launched after several deaths occurred during the visit of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to the mining sites.

“We’ve already named a number of suspects this month, and have begun investigating,” said the police’s special crimes and investigation director, Adj. Sr. Comr. Anto Yudha Hermawan.

Of the cases taking place between 2010 to 2016, Anto said two cases had occurred in Kutai Kartanegara and four cases in Samarinda. He declined to reveal which cases were being investigated.

“Those responsible would flee if I told you,” he told the media.

According to Anto, police will charge the suspects under Article 359 of the Criminal Code on negligence leading to loss of life, which carries a maximum prison sentence of more than five years.

“We will prove that the mine operators were negligent in restoring their former concession areas and caused the deaths of a number of people, including children,” said Anto.

On the other hand, Anto said police had yet to charge the negligent mining companies with violating Law No. 32/2009 on the environment.

Twenty-four people have been found dead at former coal mines in Samarinda and Kutai Kartanegara. Three of the deaths coincided with visits by Jokowi to the province.

 “Jokowi visited East Kalimantan twice and was greeted by the deaths of children in mine ponds,” said Merah Johansyah, who was then East Kalimantan Network for Mining Advocacy (Jatam) executive director and is now executive director of the national Jatam, based in Jakarta.

During Jokowi’s first visit to East Kalimantan on Nov. 18, 12-year-old Aprilia Wulandari died at a former mining company concession in Lok Bahu, Samarinda. That afternoon, only Aprilia’s motor scooter was found, in a pond at the site.

Jokowi’s second visit, on March 23, meanwhile coincided with the deaths of two teenagers in Kutai Kartanegara. Noval Fajar Slamet Riyadi, 16, and Diki Aditya, 15, students at a vocational school in Samarinda, were, like Aprilia, found dead at a former mining site.

Talking to journalists who interviewed him at the Teritip Reservoir in Balikpapan, Jokowi emphasized that he had instructed relevant ministers, especially Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya, to take decisive action.

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