Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Residents in Samarang district, Garut regency in West Java blockaded the entrance Tuesday to a geothermal power plant operated by PT Chevron Geothermal Indonesia (CGI) asking for more community development funds.

Residents living near the power plant called CGI to provide additional community development funds to compensate for the firm's exploration and exploitation activities. The blockade coordinator, Aten Ruhimat, said that residents had conducted protests twice.

"As native residents, we simply see company people exploiting natural resources here and leaving us behind. We, indeed, remain poor," he said. "Based on the Law on Fiscal Balance there should be income sharing with local administrations and central government."

Aten added the law also provided the opportunity for residents who live near the geothermal power plant to work on the project.

Garut Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Rusdy Hartono said that the residents had prevented two buses and four cars carrying some 80 workers from entering the power plant.

"The crowd delayed the workers for about 30 minutes from reaching their work place. After negotiations, the crowd let the workers pass to their place of work," he said.

The police did not arrest anyone for staging the protest. Rusdy said that he had deployed additional police officers to increase security at CGI's plant and to avoid unwanted incidents.

Previously Monday, CGI's Community Affairs manager Iwan Azof said that the company had empowered residents by hiring them to work at the company.

"About 50 percent of our permanent workers are from Garut while all of our contract workers are from Garut," he said. He added that CGI had met its community development responsibilities by providing scholarships for some 300 elementary students in Samarang.

The company had also provided materials to construct public toilets in Samarang, Pasirwangi, Sukaresmi and Garut districts.

Meanwhile, Santi Manuhutu, the Corporate Communications Manager of Chevron Indonesia Business Unit, said that the demonstration did not affect the power plant's productivity, so that it could meet the power demand of Java, Bali and Madura.

A meeting between delegations from the residents and the company decided that all community development programs and absorption of local workers into the workforce should be coordinated by district heads.