TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hundreds of residents from the village of Wanakerta, West Teluk Jambe, in Karawang, West Java, protested in front of the Karawang Regency's Administration Office.
The protest was done in order to get the Administration to take care and act on behalf of residents who were at risk over the improper disposal of liquid waste by a paper mill owned by Sinar Mas Group, PT Pindo Deli Pulp and Paper Mills.
Protesters - armed with barrels of foul smelling water from the Cibeet River - marched to the Karawang Administration's Office, where they doused the doors with the polluted water, forcing Public Order Officers (Satpol PP) running to avoid the polluted water.
Residents chanted as their disappointment increases after finding out that the acting Regent of Karawang, Celica Nurrachadiana, refused to come out and meet the residents - in fact, she was not in her office when the whole thing unfolded. The Secretary of Karawang Regency, Teddy Ruspendi also failed to show up - leaving the Head of Karawang Regency's Environments Agency, Setya Dharma, to face the angry crowd. and promised to call the company involved.
The protest's coordinator, Deden Nurdiansyah, said that the foul water dumped at the office smells like so because of the toxic discharges from Pindo Deli's plant.
According to Deden, the pollution has to stop, because hundreds of residents use Cibeet River to meet their primary water needs - many of whom have suffered from skin irritation as a result. "The stench has kept residents up at night, and all of this is PT Pindo's doing," he said.
The Wanakerta Village Chief, Kanta Kurnia, who where among those who were protesting, delivered an oration along with Deden, calling on the government to stop the improper disposal of waste by Pindo Deli. "The Regency's administration needs to invalidate the permit of those who continues to pollute Cibeet river," he said.
Pindo Deli Pulp and Paper Mills is known to have two plants in Karawang - one in Teluk Jambe, and a larger facility in Klari. The plants churns out several kinds of papers, including standard printing papers, as well as custom orders from abroad.
Pindo Deli is a known subsidiary of Asia Pulp and Papers - which also produces Paseo tissues.
The company claims to have met environmental standards - in fact, it has received an ISO14001 certification on October 14, 2000, for its' commitment to the environment.
HISYAM LUTHFIANA
