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Police arrest 11 North Maluku residents for protesting against nickel mine
The arrests came after around 30 residents held a protest in front of a nickel mining company in East Halmahera on May 16, where they opposed the company’s mining activities and criticized its environmental impact on local communities.
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Economic machine: Smoke billows out of chimneys on July 28, 2023 at a nickel mine operated by PT Vale Indonesia in Sorowako, South Sulawesi. (AFP/Hariandi Hafid )
T
he North Maluku Police have arrested 11 residents of Maba Sangaji village in East Halmahera regency, accusing them of being "thugs" who attempted to disrupt investment in the regency, after they protested against environmental damage allegedly caused by a local mining company.
The arrests came after around 30 residents held a protest in front of a nickel mining company in East Halmahera on May 16, where they opposed the company’s mining activities and criticized its environmental impact on local communities.
The residents had previously staged multiple protests against the company, accusing it of clearing 700 hectares of customary forest and plantations belonging to local people.
North Maluku Police detained 27 protesters and transported them to Ternate Island, 137 kilometers away from East Halmahera. The following day, 11 of them were officially named as suspects.
North Maluku Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Bambang Suharyono stated that authorities made the arrests after finding that protesters had carried sharp weapons and forcibly seized 18 keys to the company’s mining vehicles.
"Their actions amounted to thuggery, threatening public safety and potentially harming the regency's investment climate," he said in a recent statement.
The protesters have been charged with carrying sharp weapons without authorization, obstructing legal mining operations, threats and extortion, all of which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
