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Continued construction of Rembang cement factory unjust: Activist
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Standing up for their rights: Kendeng farmers prepare to put their feet into concrete blocks in a rally in front of Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on March 15 against the construction of state cement maker Semen Indonesia's factory in Rembang, Central Java.
(Antara/Atika Fauziyyah)
J
oko Prianto, an activist from the Network of Mount Kendeng Care Society, said the continued construction of a cement factory owned by state cement maker Semen Indonesia in Rembang, Central Java, was a form of injustice.
“This is a country with the supremacy of law. So, to whom does the law belong? We will continue to reject the factory. We will never stop. We are still in Jakarta [to rally]. There has been injustice in Kendeng. Justice has been violated in Central Java,” Joko said on Friday.
He was referring to the Supreme Court’s decision to rule in favour of the Kendeng farmers in October, ordering Semen Indonesia to halt the factory construction process.
In a visit to the factory compound on Friday, State Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno said President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo would inaugurate the factory in April.
(Read also: Kendeng farmers refuse to halt protests against cement factory)
Meanwhile, Semen Rembang factory project head Heru Indra said the cement factory was ready to start producing at its full capacity. “Equipment testing is being continuously conducted. In April, the factory will be fully operational,” he said.
Heru said materials used in the trial of the factory’s production process were all bought from traditional miners and that mining would begin only after it officially starts operating.
The Rembang cement factory is designed to produce 3 million tons of cement per year. The most productive factory owned by Semen Indonesia comprises four lines, which can produce 2,400 bags of cement per line per hour.
In 2017, it is expected that the factory can produce 1.9 million tons of cement, or around 60 percent of its target of 3 million tons. (ebf)
