Bangka in July or not anymore?

[highdesert]

Sorry about it. Normally when the webpage is open it offers a translation.

I opened it in Chrome and it auto translated immediately. Not going to post the whole thing here, but here's a couple of paragraphs:

"Secretary of the Environment Agency (BLH) of North Sulawesi provincial government, Tini Tawaang, confirmed, it will go down the field to conduct a review of mining activity on the island of Bangka."

... and further down ...

"Yet according to Didi Koleangan and July Takaliuang, in the above case the Supreme Court decision 10 representatives of the residents of the island of Bangka against Regent North Minahasa and PT MMP, has been declared void above the Mining Business Permit (IUP) Exploration PT MMP.

In fact both of them said, on the island of Bangka since February 2014 to date, PT MMP not only conduct mining exploration activities, but also has activities / stages of construction that is part of the production operation (exploitation stage) that according to the law, the act of MMP PT is the act of mining without a permit (PETI), which meets all the criminal elements of article 158 of Law No. 4 of 2009 on mineral and coal mining that every person who did mine without IUP, in a criminal by imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of Rp 10 billion."

The Rp 10 billion fine is about $860,000 right now.

 

[Dor1813]

I opened it in Chrome and it auto translated immediately. Not going to post the whole thing here, but here's a couple of paragraphs:

"Secretary of the Environment Agency (BLH) of North Sulawesi provincial government, Tini Tawaang, confirmed, it will go down the field to conduct a review of mining activity on the island of Bangka."

... and further down ...

"Yet according to Didi Koleangan and July Takaliuang, in the above case the Supreme Court decision 10 representatives of the residents of the island of Bangka against Regent North Minahasa and PT MMP, has been declared void above the Mining Business Permit (IUP) Exploration PT MMP.

In fact both of them said, on the island of Bangka since February 2014 to date, PT MMP not only conduct mining exploration activities, but also has activities / stages of construction that is part of the production operation (exploitation stage) that according to the law, the act of MMP PT is the act of mining without a permit (PETI), which meets all the criminal elements of article 158 of Law No. 4 of 2009 on mineral and coal mining that every person who did mine without IUP, in a criminal by imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of Rp 10 billion."

The Rp 10 billion fine is about $860,000 right now.

Thanks for your help.

 

[ThunderMamma]

.....

 

[xariatay]

I will be at Lembeh Resort (Critters@Lembeh) from 26 July to 4 August and on Wingy's recommendation am planning a day trip to Bangka, hopefully this will still be possible

Should be fine, as long as no high winds...

 

[WetPup]

The sad thing is, that my day job is as an exploration geologist. I see things like this and simply have to wonder who's paying off who.

Reality is that there's always a way to avoid these environmental issues. Yes, it may well cost more money to pursue an alternative, but there's always a way.

I love my job, but sometimes the things I see happening in the sector just make me want to scream.

 

[Wingy]

I feel the same way Wet....just looking at the pics of a breakwall being built, trucks and excavators on the island (villagers side not side where dive resorts are) and shaking my head......bangka will end up like bangka billetung.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SaveBangkaIsland/?fref=ts

---------- Post added May 30th, 2014 at 12:59 AM ----------

EARTH ADVOCATES - Dedicated to protecting our planets environment Good reading article by Robin Marinos on Bangka and corruption and nepotism being the grease on the whole dirty deal.

 

[WetPup]

I had a bit of a rant about it on my blog. Just another perspective from someone familiar with the industry who also happens to dive.

I'm off to Manado and Lembeh in less than 2 weeks, so it'll be interesting to have a chat to the locals about it. Last time I was in the area, I wasn't aware of this issue, so I'm curious to see what people are saying about the potential impact of it on the dive industry.

 

[astralmind]

Taken from Nomad Divers Bangka on their Facebook today: If anyone knows anyone in the press, we need help reporting that the Chinese company who are on Bangka illegally today confiscated a dive boat and held 1 owner and 3 guests against their will. Absolutely unaaceptable and we need to make this public.

 

[Dor1813]

Taken from FB two hours ago:

[h=2]Security forces of Chinese mining company PT. Mikgro Metal Perdana violently attack recreational divers off Bangka Island[/h]
By Sam Jackson on Saturday, May 31, 2014 at 8:23pm
Immediate press release — May 31st 2014


It is 9.36 in the morning of Saturday, May 31st when the dive resorts operators on and around Bangka island are alerted by an emergency call from a fellow dive operation Bangka. L yells, “my husband and several divers from overseas have just been highjacked. Can you all rush over to help!”


Soon it turns out that L’s husband, a US citizen, together with a Dutch and two guests from Sweden and Germany who dived off a chartered boat had been assaulted by security staff of Chinese Mining company PT. Mikgro Metal Perdana, their belongings seized, some stolen and then taken ashore to the company’s headquarters at Ehe village on Bangka.


Only after 1.5 hours detention and their underwater film material ripped out and deleted by a Chinese guy, and after some Bangka villagers interfered, they were finally released around 11.30.


D reports,“this is the most frightening experience a tourist can think of. Surfacing after only 30 minutes diving at Sipi point, a formerly beautiful dive site, now being destroyed by the Chinese building a jetty, we were thrown rocks at and insulted by armed guys who had climbed our boat. One guy threatened to blow up the boat. The captain was frightened to death, and we were even more because we didn’t know what it was all about.”


The Chinese guy ordered the security forces who turned out to be police from the regency, to throw the rocks telling the divers that they had intruded company ground. “I hold a government license to be here and do what I do. I will use force if you don't follow.” The police ridiculed the foreigners and cynically stated, “go ahead and report this to the Chief of Police”.


The tourists now complain that their lives were under attack during what they thought would be a peaceful dive. Says D, the son of a big German dive travel agency, “we will certainly report this to our embassies and will ask China and Indonesia for a formal apology. We have to reconsider selling Indonesia as a dive destination as we fear similar could happen to our clients.” adds J, the Swedish marine biologist, “there’s nothing left to dive in this spot anyway. I am surprised, they promote this area and announce next year as North Minahasa tourism year. What do they want to sell here. Mining?”


North Sulawesi and Indonesia’s image are badly damaged by this violent attack on tourists!


This is even more regretted as North Sulawesi just hosted the “World Coral Reef Conference” (May 14th – 17th), where its governor Sarundajang stated that North Sulawesi proudly hosts the Coral Triangle Initiative’s secretariat of six pacific countries and thus contributes to preserving coastal areas and its corals. On the other hand he supports the Chinese enterprise to go ahead with iron ore mining despite a Supreme Court Order of September 2013 that cancelled the mining license granted by the regent, Sompie Singal. Singal is cited with “I don’t see a problem. Mining and tourism can peacefully live together.”


The illegal Chinese company which is now under investigation of three ministries (Newspaper Kompas May 13th 2014, p 13) as a commission detected they illegally construct a road and a jetty, the jetty meant to be floating but actually is piled up from rocks on living corals, and they lack forest conversion permits on the land meant to be mined.


On June 5th 2014 the Manado Administrative Court summons the Regent and PT. MMP to set a time limit to obey to the Supreme Court verdict. Still the Chinese act as if they were in their home country. They even hissed a Chinese flag on Bangka hill.


Stop mining on small islands. Save Bangka - North Sulawesi initiative

www.facebook.com/groups/SaveBangkaIsland

 

[Wingy]

This takes things to a whole new level......not good at all.