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View all search resultsSix injured, 75 foreign workers evacuated after clash at Morowali nickel mine
Morowali is home to one of Indonesia’s largest nickel processing and industrial complexes, and the latest incident is not the first conflict in the region linked to nickel mining activities.
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Industrial cloud: Nickel smelters spew emissions on Jan. 26, 2024, into the skies above Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park and a nearby residential area in Bahodopi district, Morowali regency, Central Sulawesi. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)
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ix people were injured and 75 foreign employees were evacuated after a violent confrontation broke out between local residents and mine workers at a nickel mining facility in Matarape village, Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi on Friday.
Morowali police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Reza Khomeini said the workers were evacuated as a precaution while authorities investigate the cause of the conflict between residents and the company.
“The 75 foreign workers have been taken to the Central Sulawesi Police headquarters for further questioning. They are also being registered by immigration officials and remain witnesses in the case,” Reza said on Monday.
Reza said the incident began on Friday morning when residents of Matarape village staged a protest at a local nickel mining company.
The protesters called on the company to take steps to control dust along a hauling road that they said ran into residential areas. They also complained that the dust was affecting crops and raised concerns about its potential impact on public health.
At around 10 a.m. local time, company management representatives met with the protesters to discuss their demands and try to defuse the situation. But talks dragged on without a resolution, and the protesters, dissatisfied with the company’s response, blocked the hauling road with logs, bamboo poles and protest banners.
The situation escalated after a group of company workers, believed to include foreign nationals, arrived at the protest site, Reza said.
