Tens hold protests over Indo Muro Kencana's case

Tens of Dayak people held a demonstration at the police headquarters in Jakarta to protest the tough measure taken by the police to end the occupation by the local villagers of the mining contract area of gold mining company PT Indo Muro Kencana in Central Kalimantan, Media Indonesia reported.

The Dayak people, who are mostly women, demanded the police release nine Dayak people, including three children and three females, detained by the Central Kalimantan police in an operation to stop the yearlong occupation of the gold mine.

They also demanded the police stop meddling with the land dispute between the company and the Dayak people living around the gold mine.

They also called on the national police chief to punish the police officers who have taken cruel actions in evicting the occupiers and to stop blocking food supplies to the villagers who still occupied the gold mine.

The about 50 protesters were accompanied by the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam), the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi) and other non-governmental organizations.

The Dayak tribespeople have been occupying some parts of the gold concession of Indo Muro in the North Barito regency since March last year, claiming that the land belonged to their ancestors and the company had yet to fully compensate them for the land.

Indo Muro is a subsidiary of Australian mining firm Aurora Gold. (*)