Urgent Action: Shooting at Aurora Gold's Minesite in Kalimantan, Indonesia

Urgent Action: Shooting at Aurora Gold's Minesite in Kalimantan, Indonesia - 22nd January 2002

Human rights violations sadly continue at the Australian miner Aurora Gold's PT Indo Muro Kencana (PT IMK) gold mine site in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The latest from the area is that another citizen has been shot by the Brimob (an elite mobile brigade force) posted as security at the PT IMK gold mine site.

Our information from the field is that on Saturday, at 11:30 am, the community held a massive action of solidarity by blockading the main PT IMK activities to the processing plant and roads that go to the PT IMK mining location. They also destroyed PT IMK operational equipment. The action was followed by approximately 2000 people demanding responsibility from PT IMK. The community made the following five important demands:

1. PT IMK resolve and be held responsible for the problems experienced by the community that have been victimized by the shooting of the Brimob/security body. PT IMK must stop their activities until these activities are eradicated;
2. The officers/Brimob discontinue to be posted at the PT IMK mine area because of their brutal actions;
3. The Police/Brimob officer must be held responsible for the shooting and be brought to justice;
4. PT IMK discontinue operations at the Murung Raya area and
5. The legal upholding body or those who have the power, uncover the cases of violence since the beginning of PT IMK operations that use Brimob as security officers that have resulted in repeated shootings that have caused victimization and in fact death. This matter is merited as a human right violation.

As more information is made available, we will keep you informed. For more background information on the case, please see the report Aurora Gold, Investing in a Community's Anguish on JATAM's website at, http://www.jatam.org/xperjuangan/imk/index.html

This matter is of urgency again as PT IMK is currently going through with mine closure plans that have begun this year and are planned to continue until 2005 with the expected date of closure of the mine. The cases of human rights violations among other issues need to be addressed before PT IMK closes.

We hope our international friends will be able to support the communities that have been victimized by this Australian gold miner. Any support via media, protest letters and other actions would be very much appreciated.

Thank you for your attention and concern on this matter.

In Solidarity,

Tracy Glynn

JATAM (Jaringan Advokasi Tambang)
Mining Advocacy Network
Jl. Mampang Prapatan II No. 30
RT 015 / RW 04 -- Jakarta 12790
INDONESIA
Tel. +62-(0)21-794 1559
Fax. +62-(0)21-791 81683
E-mail: jatam@jatam.org
http://www.jatam.org

Roughly translated from Bahasa Indonesia to English, as reported in the BPost:-

Brimob Shoots Citizen
Muara Teweh, BPost

A Central Kalimantan Brimob Local Police officer shot a citizen in the gold mining company PT Indo Muro Kencana (IMK) area in North Barito District, Central Kalimantan.

The information that has been gathered thus far from Saturday states that the shooting incident, that occurred on Saturday (19/1) morning around 07:00 WIB at the PT IMK Krikil I location area, Tanah Siang Sub-district, resulted in Gunawan (20), a citizen of Jalan Dikin Puruk Cahu being shot in the left side of the temple area on the head.

The incident began when the victim along with two other companions, Barin and Ungkin, was looking through waste rock (still containing gold) left from PT IMK exploitation in the Krikil I area.

While looking through the waste rock, three citizens were intercepted by four Central Kalimantan Brimob Local Police that were at the time posted as security for the PT IMK company.

During the interception of the three citizens that were looking through the rock, one of the Brimob officers shot at a distance of six meters away and hit Gunawan’s head and the victim fell down immediately, while his two friends immediately ran to save themselves.

The victim was brought by an officer to the PT IMK polyclinic, however because of the serious injuries, the victim was immediately brought to Muara Teweh, the capital of North Barito District via river transport using a speedboat and the victim was treated at the local Muara Teweh public hospital.

According to one of the parents of the victim, Budiman (45) who accompanied his child to the local Muara Teweh public hospital, stated that as a result of the shooting the victim could not speak.

The Head of the North Barito Resort Police AKBP Dr Budi Waseso verified, the occurrence of shooting by the Brimob Central Kalimantan Local Police on a citizen looking through waste rock at PT IMK location area.

According to the head of the Resort Police in this incident, the officer fired a warning shot and the possibility that the victim was hit as a result of a missed target.

To investigate this case, the North Barito Resort Police sent a team to do research on the shooting incident, stated Budi Waseso.ant

JATAM (Jaringan Advokasi Tambang)
Mining Advocacy Network
Jl. Mampang Prapatan II No. 30
RT 015 / RW 04 -- Jakarta 12790
INDONESIA
Tel. +62-(0)21-794 1559
Fax. +62-(0)21-791 81683
E-mail: jatam@jatam.org
http://www.jatam.org