Government asked to revoke licenses of sand companies

The Riau provincial legislature had asked the Ministry of Mines and Energy to revoke the licenses of five Singaporean sand quarrying companies in Riau for environmental destruction, Bisnis Indonesia reported.

Deputy speaker of the legislature Djuharman Arifin said over the weekend the five Singaporean companies had been operating in the province since the era of former President Soeharto.

"The companies' exploration activities have caused destruction on the environment. But, strangely, the license (issued by the Ministry of Mines and Energy) have not yet been revoked," he said.

He however refused to name the companies. (*)