To the honourable,The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Jakarta

LETTER OF OPPOSITION AND DEMAND TO HALT GOLD MINING EXPLOITATION BY PT MERATUS SUMBER MAS (PT PLACER DOME INDONESIA AND PT SCORPION PLACER DOME) IN THE MERATUS MOUNTAINS IN KOTABARU REGENCY, SOUTH KALIMANTAN

We are the indigenous Dayak Meratus and Dayak Samihim people who live in the Meratus Mountains of Kotabaru, South Kalimantan. We are stating our opposition and requesting a halt to exploration activities being carried out by PT Meratus Sumber Mas (PT Placer Dome Indonesia and PT Scorpion Placer Dome) for the following reasons:

The Meratus Mountains comprise:

Our water source

Our sacred site

Our community source of livelihoods (gardening and gathering forest products including honey, rotan, gaharu, kedaung, tengkawang and others)

The presence and activities of the mining company in our lands since 1982 until the present have not been transparent or participatory, instead treating the community as mere bystanders. We are concerned that next, we the community will be evicted from our traditional lands, without so much as compensation. Moreover, the community does not know precisely when the company activities will be completed.

Therefore, we the indigenous Dayak Meratus of the Hampang district, and the Dayak Samihim of Kotabaru regency declare our OPPOSITION and demand a HALT to all activities of PT Meratus Sumber Mas (PT Placer Dome Indonesia and PT Scorpion Placer Dome) on our territory.

Benjarmasin, 25 June 2003
Signed in the name of the indigenous Dayak Meratus of the Hampang district, and the Dayak Samihim of Kotabaru regency: Adung; Bahrudin; Ardiansyah; Mardison; Armando

cc:
1. Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR-RI), Commission III and Commission VIII members in Jakarta
2. Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources
3. Indonesian Minister of Forestry
4. Indonesian Minister for Environment
5. Chair of South Kalimantan House of Representatives
6. Governor or South Kalimantan Province
7. Head of Mining and Energy Agency for South Kalimantan Province
8. Head of Forestry Agency for South Kalimantan Province
9. Chair of Kotabaru Regency House of Representatives
10. Regent of Kotabaru
11. Head of Mining and Energy Agency for Kotabaru Regency
12. Head of Forestry Agency for Kotabaru Regency
13. Indonesian Mining Advocacy Network, National Secretariat, Jakarta
14. WALHI-Friends of the Earth Indonesia, National Office, Jakarta
15. NGOs in South Kalimantan
16. Archives