Indigenous and environmental organizations in Indonesia ask us to send polite letters to government officials. Please use this Indonesian heading:

Mohon Tambang di NTT Dihentikan. Hak Masyarakat Setempat Perlu Dihormati
(Halt mining in East Nusa Tenggara. Respect rights of indigenous communities) 

Ask them to:

Manganese mines are causing misery for the Manggarai Indigenous People on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara. In Kampung Sirise, dust from the enormous open pits blankets vegetation around the mine. The miners have dumped rocks and tailings on land prepared for food and commercial crops. Fish from the nearly ocean are no longer safe to eat. The Manggarai people, who live directly below the mine, now suffer from breathing difficulties. Exposure to manganese dust and fumes is especially toxic for children, who may suffer impaired motor skills and cognitive disorders.

Island People in Indonesia say:

Stop Mining! It Threatens our Health, our Lands, and the Sea

Indonesia is a nation made up of thousands of islands just north of Australia. Flores and Lembata are beautiful, forested islands where Indigenous Peoples live in small communities as fishermen, farmers, weavers, and craftsmen. Amazing animals, including the Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard, live in this area.

The Global Costs of Mining

Newmont Cleared in Indonesia
By Richard Martin, 4-24-07

A judge in Indonesia today cleared Denver-based Newmont Mining Corp. and its local chief, Richard Ness, of polluting a bay by dumping dangerous levels of toxic mine tailings into the ocean. The case has drawn international attention as an examination of the global mining industry, with Newmont as its most profitable company, and a test of environmental law in the mineral-rich Southeast Asian Island nation.

On March 15, the United Nations General Assembly voted 170–4 to create a new Human Rights Council, effectively dissolving the oft-criticized Commission on Human Rights. Candidates for the Council will need to be elected by an absolute majority of 96 votes in order to secure a position, and once elected members can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms.

An agreement signed yesterday in Jakarta requires Newmont Mining Company to pay 30 million to settle a civil court case that charges the Denver-based company with polluting Buyat Bay on North Sulawesi island. The out-of-court settlement in the civil case has no bearing on the ongoing criminal trial of Newmont executives in Indonesia who are charged with not taking action to prevent pollution.

Indonesia will charge only one of six Newmont Mining Corp. executives accused of dumping toxic waste into a bay, prosecutors said Tuesday, in a legal victory for the U.S. gold mining giant.

Robert Ilat, the chief prosecutor in the case, said his office plans to pursue charges against Newmont's top official in Indonesia, American Richard Ness, and the Denver-based company itself.

A trial could start within weeks, he said.

Activists condemned a suggestion by a minister that the government might consider an out-of-court settlement with U.S. mining company Newmont in a civil lawsuit involving alleged pollution of Buyat Bay, North Sulawesi, warning that it would set a bad precedent for the enforcement of environmental law.

Raja Siregar of the Indonesia Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said that if the government acceded to Newmont's offer of mediation, this would prove its half-heartedness in enforcing the law in the environmental field.

Activists in communities around the world -- wherever Newmont Mining Company operates open-pit gold mines -- experience intimidation, threats and violence that come directly or indirectly from Newmont managers and contractors. In Indonesia, Newmont is currently suing three community activists for "defamation;" if convicted, they face jail sentences, fines and/or confiscation of their property.

Here's an update from the New York Times on the situation in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, where Newmont Mining Company faces charges that its mine caused health problems and environmental contamination. As the Newmont annual shareholders meeting approaches (April 27), we will keep you updated on protests against Newmont from communities around the world. Global Response supports protesters against Newmont mines in Indonesia, Ghana and Peru.

MAR. 17 8:47 A.M. ET Indonesia's Supreme Court has ruled that a police investigation into five executives of U.S. mining giant Newmont Mining Corp. over pollution allegations is legal, clearing the way for the men to face trial.

In December, the South Jakarta District Court ruled that the case against the men -- an American, an Australian and three Indonesians -- was illegal because police had failed to inform the environment ministry of their intention to arrest them.