Indonesia update

Indonesia update

27th April 2007

Environmental Auditing of Granite Mining Tightened

Tempo Interactive

17th Apri 2007

The Department for the Environment will tighten the environmental auditing of granite mining rather than banning exports. "My concern aims at whether or not granite exploration damages the environment. The environmental auditing will be the way, instead of banning exports, which is under the authority of the Department of Trade," State Minister for the Environment told Tempo yesterday (04/16).

Earlier, Rear Admiral Muryono, Commander of Indonesian Navy Fleet Command of the Western Area, urged the government to ban sand exports, using environmental grounds as the argument. He also asked the regional government not to easily issue a granite mining permit (Koran Tempo, April 13).

Rachmat said that his party as well as related agencies have acted upon the environmental auditing of granite mining that the Indonesian Military mentioned on Riau Island. However, up until today, the final result is yet to be obtained. "The result will be announced in around two weeks from now," he said.

He revealed that environmental damage was not the only reason to ban exports on mining materials. "With environmental auditing, the ones who do the damage will be sentenced to a closing down of the mining exploration company," he said.