Newmont gold mining activities continue as usual

PT Newmont Minahasa Raya continues its gold mine operation in Rotatok, the regency of Minahasa, North Sulawesi despite the fact that the local court has yet to formally responded the Supreme Court's request to delay the order to shut down the gold mine operation, Kompas and The Jakarta Post reported on Tuesday.

The company's spokesperson Yonaniko Salim said that gold mining activities, which saw decline in the last two weeks, resumed normally on Monday, as the local court did not give any fresh instruction about its provisional ruling issued last week to close the gold mine by last Sunday.

The court's decision had affected most o f the operations last week as the company's over 1,000 workers felt uncertain about their future following the issuance of the local court's closure order. "But they seemed to have regained their confidence when the deadline to shut down the company passed without incidence on Sunday," general manage for government and public relations Tri Harjono said.

The Tondano District Court issued a provisional ruling on April 8 ordering Newmont to close down its mine by last Sunday, waiting for a final verdict on the company's tax dispute with the local government.

But the Supreme Court intervened and asked the local court to delay the closure order.

Yonaniko said during the last court hearing on Saturday, both the court nor the regency, which previously opposed the Supreme Court's request, did not raise the issue of the closure order.

Meanwhile director for mining development at the Ministry of Mines and Energy Simon Sembiring said that if the gold mine was closed, Indonesia could suffer a loss of about Rp 256.5 billion from taxes and royalties as well as from the loss of business opportunities.

"From taxes alone, the government could loss the opportunity to raise about Rp 85.5 billion," he was quoted by saying by Petromindo.com. (*)