PT Lautan Indonesia Persada (LIP) obtained a license to mine sand from the Lampung Investment Agency in 2015 near Sebesi Island and Anak Krakatau.

Sebesi islanders first noticed a mining ship on Aug. 10, but they were not initially concerned, Sebesi resident Rahmatullah said.

The ship then appeared the next day, which worried residents, Rahmatullah added, and 10 days after that, representatives of the company, including its director, Stefan Gunter Tjang, visited the island to inform people that the company would begin mining sand in the area.

“As far as I know, no equipment should be used yet. Residents reject the plan,” Rahmatullah said.

Locals also tried to confront the mining ship and took footage of the alleged ship activities on Aug. 29.

“We were traumatized by the impact of the tsunami and after that we are being bothered by this,” Rahmatullah said.

He said sand mining could potentially destroy the local marine ecosystem, which Sebesi islanders relied on to earn a living.

“Like coastal erosion, coral reef destruction and a decrease in marine life can reduce a fishermen’s yield,” Rahmatullah said.

He said locals also feared that the mining could trigger landslides near Krakatau that could trigger another tsunami.

He said it was not the first time Sebesi islanders tried to stop planned mining activities in the area. In 2009, PT ASKO tried to mine in the area and in 2014, PT Pal tried to mine in the area as well.

Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) Lampung director Irfan Tri Musri said PT LIP might have violated Law No. 1/2014 on coastal and small island spatial planning.

LIP’s license was issued in 2015, while the law was issued in January 2018. Between January 2014 and 2018 was a grace period, meaning that LIP’s license had no zoning plan basis, Irfan added.

“We view that the license was administratively unlawful when issued,” Irfan said on Thursday.

He said the Lampung administration should revoke the license and if the administration failed to do so, Walhi would consider pursuing the matter at the administrative court.

Irfan also said mining activities could also be a stepping stone to mining sand from Anak Krakatau.

He also said the area was supposed to be protected as a conservation area according to Law No. 5/1990 on natural resource and ecosystem conservation.

The Lampung Council held a meeting with Sebesi Island residents and Wahli Lampung on Sept. 10 to discuss LIP’s mining activities.

The council’s interim commission I head, Mingrum Gumay, said the council would form a working group to look into LIP’s activities and license.

Mingrum said that if the company was found to be polluting the environment, threatening local fishermen’s livelihood and violating the law, it would be reprimanded.

Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) tsunami expert Widjo Kongko said sea sand mining could damage the environment and alter sea waves, which could lead to coastal erosion and sedimentation, but research had not suggested that mining could cause a tsunami, which the Sebesi islanders feared.

“I don’t think there is a correlation [between tsunamis and mining activities],” Widjo said.

“Tsunamis from undersea landslides are caused by volcanic eruptions or an earthquake,” he added.

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