JAKARTA - Hundreds of people from the United North Nusa Tenggara People's Alliance (ARNUB) staged a demonstration at the ESDM Directorate General of Mineral and Coal (Minerba) office, Menteng Dalam, Tebet, South Jakarta, to coincide with Heroes' Day, Wednesday 10 November. They demanded that the government, in this case the Director General of Mineral and Coal at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (KESDM), revoke the mining permit granted to PT Tambang Mas Sangihe (TMS) because it will only bring misery to the people of Sangihe, North Sulawesi.
The demonstration to coincide with Hero's Day was conducted peacefully, sympathetically, through orations, songs and traditional dances of Sangihe, North Sulawesi. Similar actions were previously carried out in Sangihe by various elements, both the general public and students. They not only reject the existence of PT TMS, but also demand that the permit granted to PT TMS be revoked. Mining is only judged to only provide unilateral benefits to entrepreneurs, not to the Sangihe community.
Mining permit to PT TMS was granted through the Decree of the Director General of Mineral and Coal ESDM Number: 163.K/MB.04/DJB/2021. PT. The Mas Sangihe Mine (TMS) obtained a mining permit covering an area of 42.00 hectares, more than half of Sangihe Island. The permit is valid from January 28, 2021 to January 29, 2054.
"This means that Sangihe Island will be demolished massively for 33 years, covering 80 villages and seven sub-districts on Sangihe Island," said Jull Takaliuang, chairman of Save Sangihe Island. Jull Takaliuang initiated this demonstration with a number of his colleagues from Sangihe, including Pastor Adelaide Marasut. They gathered hundreds of Sangihe residents in Greater Jakarta, including the United Nusa Utara Bersatu organization.
“The church must come, the church must come down. The spiritual strength of the church must be given to help the people's struggle, to defend the truth," said Pastor Adelaide Marasut who actively gives speeches with Jull Takaliuang.
Jull Takaliauang stated that PT TMS should refrain from carrying out work related to mining, in order to comply with the lawsuit process that had been submitted to the Administrative Court. In the near future, said Jull Takaliuang, there will be a 12th trial in the form of field observations. The lawsuit is addressed to the Director General of Mineral and Coal ESDM, and its derivative is PT TMS. "It's the 11th trial, the 12th trial of field observations," said Jull Takaliuang.
The demonstration that had been going on since the morning had just ended after noon after the Acting Coordinator of Legal Affairs (PLT) of the Director General of Mineral and Coal ESDM, Sonny Heru Prasetyo, came to the demonstration area and spoke to the demonstrators. Sonny Heru Prasetyo promised to convey the aspirations and demands of the United North Nusa Tenggara People's Alliance to the Director General of Mineral and Coal ESDM.
In the letter of demand submitted by Pastor Adelaide Marasut to Sonny Heru Prasetyo, the United People's Alliance of North Nusa, among others, asked President Joko Widodo to remove officials at the central and provincial levels who played a role in issuing permits for PT TMS.
Previously, the Director General (Dirjen) of Mineral and Coal of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Ridwan Djamluddin, said that his party would evaluate the permits granted to PT TMS. PT TMS' mining activities are based on a 'Contract of Work' signed by the Government and PT TMS in 1997.
The North Sulawesi Provincial Government has issued an 'Environmental Permit for PT TMS' on September 15, 2020, in the said Environmental Permit it is stated that the location to be used by PT TMS to carry out mining activities is only 65.48 Ha out of a total area of 42,000 Ha. Based on data from the Directorate General of Mineral and Coal, MEMR, the total area of PT TMS with prospects for mining is 4,500 Ha (less than 11% of the total area of PT TMS' KK).
"The government will evaluate the area of PT TMS' KK, and based on that evaluation, it can ask PT TMS to shrink the KK area that is not used/no prospect for mining activities," said Ridwan Djamluddin.
Jull Takaliuang, who is also the chairman of Save Sangihe Island, emphasized that their intention was to hold a demonstration on Heroes' Day to save Sangihe Island and its inhabitants. The presence of PT Tambang Mas Sangihe (TMS) is considered not to be beneficial to the community but instead makes the people of Sangihe, North Sulawesi miserable.
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