Jakarta/Sidoarjo – The government is organizing a national team to address the hot toxic mud that is flooding Sidoarjo, East Java. The move came as victims continued protesting Wednesday against Lapindo Brantas Inc., which has been blamed for the disaster.
"Vice President Jusuf Kalla is establishing a national team to take care of this problem. It's a big issue involving many lives, therefore it requires special treatment," the chairman of the Indonesian Muslim Student Movement (PMII), Hery Haryanto Azumi, said Wednesday after meeting with Kalla.
No details were available about the leadership or members of the team or its specific duties. However, the Vice President said the government would prioritize the safety of people and their belongings, as well as the safety of public facilities, Antara quoted Hery as saying.
Hery said the government has not yet directly addressed the impact of the mudflow on local people's lives.
The PMII, which is affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim organization, plans to hold a seminar in Jakarta on Sept. 19 to evaluate the government's performance in handling the mudflow case.
The chairman of the Indonesian Christian Student Movement (GMKI), Kenly M. Poluan, who met with Kalla separately Wednesday, said the national team will consist of many parties, including the government and Lapindo itself.
"The Vice President stressed that the government will work hard to overcome this problem. If the mud has to be flown to the sea, then it will be. He also said the problem is an accident faced by the nation and the government is taking it seriously, working with both local and foreign engineers," Kenly said.
The GMKI, he added, saw the case as a corporate crime that should be dealt with firmly.
Earlier, Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto said his office had established three teams focused on shutting down the source of the mud, securing infrastructure such as railways and roads, and coping with related social problems, particularly compensation for the victims.
In Sidoarjo, hundreds of mudflow victims from Kedungbendo village continued their protest Wednesday outside the Lapindo Brantas office. The residents demanded a guarantee of compensation for their land destroyed by the sludge. They also demanded that the company pay their rent.
A resident named Suprapto said if the compensation is not paid soon, thousands of people will blockade the company's heavy-duty vehicles and the equipment it has been using to work in the mudflow area.
Kedungbendo village chief Hasan said he had repeatedly told the victims to be patient and waiting for compensation. "I have told them not to shut down the access, but now I'm angry too because Lapindo hasn't met its promise," said Hasan, who was among the protesters.
Local residents are also worried the coming rainy season will swell the lakes of mud currently held back by embankments, breaking down the retaining walls and causing floods. Surging mud has flooded more than 400 hectares of land, including 1,810 houses, 20 factories, and 18 school buildings.
Lapindo Brantas vice president and public relations head Yuniwati Teryana said her office was still collecting data on the victims' assets, including their land and houses.
"We're facing very complicated problems. We can't just settle everything in such a short time. We have to measure every property carefully because it's related to data accuracy and land certificates," she said.