In principle, the Aceh Government has rejected a mining license for PT EMM in Nagan RajaBanda Aceh, Aceh Darussalam (ANTARA) - The Aceh provincial administration has refused to issue a mining license to a gold mine located in Beutong Ateuh Benggalang, Nagan Raya District, acquired by PT Emas Mineral Murni (EMM).
"In principle, the Aceh Government has rejected a mining license for PT EMM in Nagan Raja," Saifullah A Gani, spokesman of the Aceh Administration, told the media here on Thursday.
Acting Governor of Aceh Nova Iriansyah is committed to rejecting the mining permit for PT EMM, in accordance with a demand by students from Aceh who had protested against the gold mine, recently.
M Jafar, chairman of the PT EMM Dispute Team, said the Aceh Government had sent letters to the National Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) and the Energy and Mineral Resources Minister asking them to revoke the license.
But, the BKPM responded that the permit could not be revoked as the case was in court, he added.
PT EMM had acquired a license issued by the BKPM in 2017 to operate a gold mine on an area measuring 10 thousand hectares located in Nagan Raya and Central Aceh Districts.
The Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) had filed a lawsuit against the permit issued by the BKPM, but the lawsuit was rejected by the Jakarta administrative court in April 2019.
The environmental NGO later appealed to the Jakarta Higher Court of State Administration (PT-TUN).
The people of Aceh rejected the gold mine because it could damage the environment.
Translator: Irman Yusuf, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
