Jakarta – Angry residents have again blocked access to a gold mine in Indonesia's East Kalimantan region, an official said Monday as a row over land compensation threatened closure of the mine.
"As of Sunday morning, some 200 villagers have again blockaded the access road to our factory. Our company vehicles ... have not been able to enter the compound," PT Kelian Equatorial Mining (KEM) spokesman Kasan Mulyono told AFP by telephone.
There was only food and fuel at the mine for two more days, and if the blockade continued it would force the shut down of the mine's office and the evacuation of workers for the second time in a month, Mulyono said.
PT KEM, which has been mining gold in the area on Borneo island since 1992, ships its supplies to Jelemuq on the Mahakam river and uses the main road to transport them to the mine.
Mulyono said the villagers, who lifted a three-week siege only last Thursday, returned with a fresh demand for direct negotiations on compensation.
The company had previously dealt with the Institute for the Welfare of the Mining Society and the Environment, but after fruitless negotiations some of the protesters last week appointed their own representatives to talk with the company.
The first blockade, started on April 19 and caused the closure of the mine from April 29 until the blockade was lifted last week.
"Security authorities have attempted to take a persuasive approach to the group ... but to no avail," Mulyono said, adding the company would hold further negotiations with the residents on Monday.
The protesters were angry at apparent delays in the resolution of land compensation issues. They claim the mine is on land which the company bought in 1990 and 1994 at less than market value. They also say compensation has yet to be paid for some parts of the land used by the mining firm.
But mine officials say the 6,000 compensation claims made to the company covered a surface larger than the mine itself, and a selection and verification process had been required. The company normally employs about 1,050 staff, about 90 percent of whom are local, and 600 subcontracted workers.
London-based Rio Tinto Ltd. holds 90 percent of the equity in PT KEM with the remaining 10 percent held by its private Indonesian partner PT Harita Jayaraya. PT KEM produces 13-14 tonnes of gold annually from the concession, which will expire in 2004.