CRAP LIBEL OF THE YEAR
For Telling the Truth…
Indonesian authorities have sued a subsidiary of Denver-based Newmont Mining Corp., seeking US$133.6 million in compensation from the company for allegedly polluting a bay off Sulawesi island.
On August 2nd the Manado District Court, Indonesia, ruled that Rignolda Djamaluddin, an environmental campaigner, had defamed the mining company (and the world’s biggest gold producer) PT Newmont Minahasa Raya after he accused them of pollution – namely dumping toxins like mercury, arsenic and cyanide into Buyat Bay. Rignolda was ordered to publicly apologise and pay the equivalent of US$750,000 in damages. This sum will increase by Rp 5,000,000 for each day that the damages are not paid. Angry Buyat Pante residets and local university students who attended the court in support of Rignolda pelted the judges with eggs and plastic bottles following the judgement. They must’ve been annoyed because they know damn well that there has been pollution (and a sharp rise in associated health problems locally) - as do the Indonesian government who are now prosecuting PT Newmont for… pollution! The company deny everything but coincidentally closed the mine on Aug 30th. Rignolda’s case is now awaiting appeal.
Btw, the project was the world's largest ever greenfields mining project with a construction budget of US$1.97 billion.
For more info and how to take action:
For views from the other side - the mining industry:
“The Earth is not dying - it is being killed. And the people who are killing it have names and addresses.”
Coming up next: Gold mining - a dirty business in many aspects
~peace & solidarity~
