Bangka in July or not anymore?

[WetPup]

Corporate Social Responsibility at its finest? *headdesk*

This is concerning if they're actively going after divers.

 

[chillyinCanada]

What can be done?

 

[WetPup]

What can be done?

I forwarded that FB post to someone I know who works as an executive producer for an Australian tv network (breakfast tv, so they do in fact do the news). Whether they'll do anything with it is another story.

Other than that, I know people within other local government departments related to the mining industry in other parts of Sulawesi. They're surfers rather than divers, but they're fans of the environment just the same. I don't know if they'll have any influence on what's going on in North Sulawesi, but I figured I'd shoot them an email anyway.

I think the problem is that the local government in North Sulawesi is saying one thing, which is in direct violation of the supreme court ruling. If the local government is intentionally disregarding a legal ruling by a higher court by allowing this development to proceed, then it's the local government that needs to be held to account.

Although the apparent violent behaviour by the mining company security is something that needs to be addressed separately. But if the local police are being paid off to ignore it, then that's a whole other issue.

 

[Jarno]

Perhaps the Governor of the region can be reported to the KPK (corruption eradication commission) those guys love taking down a Governor or Minister and in this case it is pretty clear that someone is being paid of

 

[highdesert]

It's worth remembering that, while this is a terrible thing to happen to Bangka, the more support the island gets from divers, it may be likely that the outcome is better. As far as the immediate effects on coral or dive sites, the damage is limited to a rather isolated area on the northwest coast of the island. All of the dive resorts and almost all of the dive sites are far removed from that area. Without taking a dive boat to the west side, a diver would be totally unaware of any activity. There are also all of the sites on Talisei, Gangga, and near Paradise Pier on the Sulawesi side, all regularly dived from Bangka. I'll do what I can to fight the mining, and everyone should, but it's not going to stop me from going to Bangka this year, if not further in the future. The diving is too good to give up on now.

 

[goblinina]

Hi everyone, thanks for all the information! This is hugely helpful for me since we'll be at Mimpi Indah in Bangka for a few days from June 30th onward. I hope you're right about more divers having a positive impact on the mine situation!

 

[andrethediver]

Just finished diving with Nomad, diving is amazing. Request the Eagle island IIRC with baby white tip sharks...

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[xariatay]

The article on Mining company attacks scuba diving tourists in Indonesia
"“They went diving from 9 a.m. [but] 30 minutes later, some men -- allegedly workers of MMP -- started to throw rocks [at where they were diving]. Their boat was forced ashore and they were interrogated at the Ehe village head (hukum tua) office but he was not present so they were brought to Village Representative Body,” Angelique Batuna, owner of Murex Dive Resort, told Mongabay-Indonesia.
Read more at http://news.mongabay.com/2014/0605-hadinaryanto-bangka.html#edZq0W7Y3zqYXJSu.99".

Taken from FB two hours ago:

Security forces of Chinese mining company PT. Mikgro Metal Perdana violently attack recreational divers off Bangka Island


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

 

[highdesert]

BANGKA UPDATE

I just received this from a reliable source close to the issue:


"Since yesterday the mining company has been forced to stop operating for now. We don’t know if it’s permanent but at least they have been stopped. The governor and bupati have been ordered to follow the ruling from the highest court in Indonesia. It is also all over the Save Bangka Group on FB but still all in Indonesian, no translations yet. At least some positive news that should be shared."

 

[Dor1813]

Thanks for the good news!