Illegal Mine Operation Shut Down in Ambon

The Jakarta Globe, December 08, 2012


Ambon, Maluku. An illegal mining operation in Maluku was shut down on Friday as security forces deployed more than 1,000 officers following a series of riots and widespread environmental destruction in the area.

Maj. Gen. Eko Wiratmoko, the head of the Pattimura Military Command, which oversees military operations across Maluku, earlier said his force was ready to help shut down the notorious illegal gold mining activities in the Gunung Botak area on Buru island if ordered.

Maluku Vice Governor Said Assegaf revealed on Friday that the order finally came on Wednesday. “The children of Buru have been negatively impacted by the mines,” he said, explaining why the operation was shut down.

Gunung Botak, an area where thousands of people pan for gold, has been rocked by violent conflict in the past week that has already claimed five lives. The latest clashes, between groups of miners from different ethnic groups, took place on Tuesday.

Assegaf said the region is now occupied by some 1,000 security officers who are preventing an estimated 100,000 people who were working roughly 5,000 mines from returning.

A team from the Pattimura University in Ambon and Iqra Buru University of Buru island was also deployed to Gunung Botak to assess the environmental destruction and formulate a means to repair the damage.

Previously, Yustinus Malle, of Pattimura University, said research conducted by his team revealed alarming levels of cyanide and mercury in the soil, streams and coastal areas around Gunung Botak.

Both substances are commonly used by miners to bind gold flakes in processed ores to form an amalgam, but both are extremely toxic and could even lead to death.

Traces of cyanide and mercury were also found in marine organisms such as seaweed and fish, which increases the chances of those living outside of Buru of experiencing mercury or cyanide poisoning.

Cyanide can stop cells from using oxygen present in the bloodstream, causing cellular asphyxiation, respiratory arrest and death, while mercury can harm the nervous system and may lead to brain damage in unborn babies and young children.

Buru District Chief Ramly Umasugi said that his office is considering awarding mining concessions in Gunung Botak to legitimate mining companies or cooperatives to stop the area from being exploited further by illegal miners.

Several groups have been calling on the government to issue mining concessions instead of cracking down on them, which they say would bring tax revenue to the province and allow the government to better control the handling and disposal of toxic waste.

But some environmental groups in Maluku were quick to lament the district chief’s plan, saying that the area needs a moratorium from mining activities to prevent further environmental destruction and the proliferation of health problems to people in the surrounding areas.