Indonesian Minister Ignores Police Summons in Bay Pollution Scandal Source;
Published by MAC on 2004-09-24Indonesian Minister Ignores Police Summons in Bay Pollution Scandal Source;
Asia Pulse
September 24, 2004
Jakarta - Indonesia's State Minister for Environment Nabiel Makarim has failed to meet a summons to appear at the police headquarters here on Friday morning over the alleged pollution of Buyat Bay in North Sulawesi province, a police source has said.
The minister's secretary has called the police, saying Nabiel could not meet the summons to testify as a witness in the pollution case as President Megawati Soekarnoputri has not given the green light, the source said.
Police said recently that reliable findings in Buyat Bay, where the American-run mining company PT Newmont Minahasa Raya (NMR) operates, show that it is polluted with heavy metals.
Makarim however said last month there was no industrial contamination in the bay.
His statement was supported by the Indonesian Mining Association (IMA), which said on Wednesday that the bay is not contaminated.
The police questioned NMR president director, Richard Ness, here Thursday for the same case.