The coal mining company CV Sangasanga Perkasa (SSP) accused two activists named Zainuri and Dasidua of obstructing the company’s mining activities. The two men are residents of RT 24, Sangasanga urban village, Sangasanga District, Kutai Kertanegara Regency, East Kalimantan Province. Based on the police report, the Subdit for Specific Crimes (Subtipiter) of the Special Criminal Investigation Directorate (Ditreserse) of East Kalimantan Police summoned Zainuri and Dasidua on 28 March 2022 to question them regarding the obstruction of coal mining activities.
Zainuri and Darmin showed up at the East Kalimantan Police on 28 March 2022, the day they were supposed to, according to the summon. However, the investigator said they forgot that they had called them for an examination that day and that they must reschedule the examination for another day. This action is already seen as criminalisation since it is not easy for people to go back and forth to the police station because it takes time and money, and they need to take time off work. These police requests also have a psychological impact on them and their families.
Zanuri mentioned that he was surprised by CV SSP’s report to the police accusing him and Darmin of obstructing the company’s activities. Its operations were not stopped because of residents’ interference but by the Mining Inspector and the East Kalimantan ESDM Office in January 2022 for violating rules such as mining outside the Mining Business License, not submitting a budget work plan (RKAB) and having environmental permits that the Kutai Kertanegara DPMPTSP rejected. According to Zanuri, the company was operating with incomplete licensing documents.
Zainuri said he was surprised that the East Kalimantan Police moved quickly to follow up on the CV SSP report. The East Kalimantan Police typically never follow up on the reports of residents, who since 2018 have conflicted with CV SSP.
Background
CV SSP entered RT 24 in 2012. After running operations for two years, mining operations were stopped due to several incomplete permits. Residents then independently carried out reclamation themselves by planting trees and fruit. CV SSP, then entered again in 2018, precisely in April. The entry of CV SSP, said Zainuri, had been rejected by residents. However, CV SSP continued mining until August 2018, before it was stopped again because it did not have a permit. CV SSP then reappeared in January 2022 to carry out coal mining activities. The mining inspector and several parties stopped CV SSP’s activities at the end of January.
In addition, a mining area of 10 hectares out of a total of 42.5 hectares that is planned to be cultivated has been considered unproductive by the relevant agencies. The site is also included in the vital national object (Obvitnas) of PT Pertamina Hulu Sangasanga. “The 10-hectare area also includes settlements, roads, mosques and residents’ plantations,” said Zainuri. He is now waiting to be summoned again by the police. He emphasised that the residents of RT 24 do not want their village to be mined again. So far, mining operations have never provided benefits for residents. Instead, mud floods have always haunted RT 24 residents due to mining operations that do not carry out reclamation.
Detailed Case Data
name of the location: a text string, if possible coordinates in brackets (-4.29, 138.18)
administrative region: Indonesia, East Kalimantan Province, Kutai Kartanegara Regency, Sangasanga District, Sangasanga Village
total number of victims: two
period of incident: 28.03.2022
perpetrator: police, company
perpetrator details: East Kalimantan Police, mining company CV Sangasanga Perkara (SSP)
Issues: freedom of expression, environment
Sources: Warga Penolak Tambang Dilaporkan ke Polda Kaltim | Bontang Post
Further HRM News:
| Number | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violation |
| 1 | Zainuri | male | unknown | activist | freedom of expression |
| 1 | Dasidua | male | unknown | activist | freedom of expression |
