Selasa, 31 Mei 2011
Pius Ginting & Tom Evans: True Cost of Chevron
Recount of the Chevron AGM in San Ramon, CA as told by international delegates from across the globe.
Rabu, 25 Mei 2011
True Cost of Chevron Around the Globe
5/24/11 press event in San Francisco, where community leaders from Nigeria, Angola, Ecuador, Indonesia, Alaska, Texas, across California, and other communities that are negatively impacted by Chevron's operations gathered at a Chevron gas station to expose the harms Chevron causes in the communities where they and their members live, work and play.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/justiceinnigerianow/albums/72157626798205140
Days before oil giant’s annual shareholder meeting, local and international community leaders from Nigeria to Ecuador to Richmond reveal firsthand reality of Chevron’s operations are not what is seen on TV.- Interview Available Now -
WHAT: Press Conference, Report Release, and Chevron Toxic Tour
WHEN: Tuesday, May 24 at 10am
WHERE:
Starts at Chevron Gas Station
1298 Howard Street (9th & Howard)
San Francisco, CA 94103-2712
WHY: On May 25, dozens of local, national, and international community leaders and advocates from and for communities harmed by Chevron’s operations from Angola, Ecuador, Indonesia, Nigeria, Alaska, Texas, and more will attend the company’s annual shareholder meeting in San Ramon, California while supporters rally outside to demand that Chevron agree to change its ways.
As oil and gasoline prices -- and public outrage at the generous government subsidies handed out daily to the oil industry – are on the rise, Fortune Magazine announced that for the fourth year in a row, Chevron -- California’s largest company -- is the nation’s third largest corporation and the world’s sixth largest. Chevron brought in nearly $20 billion in profits last year. What did it do with its vast wealth? According to its Annual Report and the actors in its “We Agree” Ad campaign, Chevron supported human rights, alternative energy, the environment, and local economies.
The reality is much different and the people who know best will expose the true cost of Chevron in three ways:
- With the release of The True Cost of Chevron: An Alternative Annual Report.
- Many report authors have traveled to the Bay Area to be available to speak at the Press Conference, including:
- Following the press conference, a Toxic Tour of Chevron’s operations in Richmond will be led by local activists for the press and our national and international allies.
Embargoed until May 24, the report includes accounts by more than 40 authors – led by those on the front lines of Chevron’s operations -- recording egregious corporate behavior in locations as diverse as California, Burma, Colombia, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, the Philippines and the U.S. Gulf Coast, including new sections detailing Chevron’s pursuit of ever-riskier and ever-deeper offshore projects in the South China Sea, the North Sea, and the Canadian Arctic and its role in the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The report also profiles the historic victory and ongoingbattle over Chevron's crimes in Ecuador.
Humberto Piaguaje, Amazon Defense Coalition, Ecuador
Emem Okon, Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, Nigeria
Elias Isaac, Open Society Initiative, Angola
Jessica Tovar, Communities for a Better Environment, Oakland, CA
Mardan Pius Ginting, WALHI - Friends of the Earth Indonesia, Indonesia
Gitz Crazyboy (Ryan Deranger), First Nation Dene/Pikini (Blackfoot), Alberta, Canada
Antonia Juhasz, Global Exchange, San Francisco, CA, co-editor of the True Cost of Chevron report.
Contact: Antonia Juhasz True Cost of Chevron antonia@globalexchange.org 415-846-5447
http://www.globalexchange.org/news/truth-behind-big-oil-exposed
www.TrueCostofChevron.com
Minggu, 01 Mei 2011
Chevron in Indonesia - An Alternative 2010 Annual Report
Pius Ginting, WALHI - Friends of the Earth Indonesia
“Let me die here. There is no use for me to stay alive. Chevron does not care about my land. The company is very cruel.”
The majority of Chevron’s oil production has, and continues to, take place in the Riau province in the center of the Sumatra Island, where it operates four onshore blocks, the largest of which, the Duri field, is one of the world’s giant oilfields and one of the largest steamflood operations.[347]
Today, Chevron, through its Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI) subsidiary (formerly Caltex Pacific Indonesia), is Indonesia’s largest oil producer, with total daily production averaging 477,000 barrels of oil and 611 million cubic feet of natural gas in 2010.[348] Chevron’s Indonesian operations include oil, natural gas and geothermal power-generation.
In November 2010, Chevron received an impressive award from Indonesia’s Ministry of the Environment. In its environmental performance rating program (PROPER), the Ministry ranked Chevron in its RED category. This designation means that Chevron Pacific Indonesia-Sumatra Light North, Chevron Pacific Indonesia-Sumatra Light South and Chevron Pacific Indonesia-Heavy Oil failed to properly manage the environment based on standard regulations. Chevron has devastated the environment and, as a result, the company is facing sanctions from the government.[354]
Local community member Mr. Yunus said that both girls suffered burn wounds because they were covered with hot crude oil from the exploded pipe. Mr. Yunus added that the incident initially sounded like a bomb blast. After recovering from their initial shock, the local community realized that the pipe had exploded and was spurting oil 10 meters high. When the incident happened, a motorbike owned by a local community member was thrown a distance of 15 meters.[355]
Because of the incident, local community members from Manggala Jonson Village suffered from asphyxiation and sore throats. According to one source, who requested to remain anonymous, it is believed that the oil spill contained hazardous waste, which was inhaled by the community. However, the community was somewhat reluctant to speak openly to the media about their health impacts.[356]
According to Mr. Yunus, Chevron and its heavy equipment team came two hours after the explosion to repair the pipe.[357]
The Head of the Local Parliament Commission, Aswendi, said that Chevron had promised to clean the ditch. “Obviously, this is Chevron’s responsibility. When we called them (to the Local Parliament House), they promised to undertake dredging to avoid flooding into the community neighborhood. If flooding happens, we will call them again,” said Aswendi.[358]
Mr. Hanafi Kadir, Communications Manager of Chevron Pacific Indonesia said, “this (the flood) is not merely caused by shallowed drainage, but also because of the development impact. There is no more water catchment area. We admit that probably the drainage got shallowed but we have done dredging.”[359]
“Chevron has seized 130 hectares of our land since 2003, even though there are 65 claimants’ letters for the land,” said Masran Djasid, coordinator of community. “There are still 130 out of 600 hectares for which the company has not yet provided compensation. But Chevron has built dozens of oil pumps. Since 2005 Chevron has not displayed any goodwill. In fact, the community conducted a demonstration in February 2010, and sent a complaint to the Head of the District, the Governor, and even the National Parliament. But there has been no solution and the company has been violating its own map.”[360]
Currently, the state-owned Executive Agency for Upstream Oil and Gas (BPMIGAS) is investigating the land conflict between the villagers of Rantau Bais and Chevron. “The legal department of BPMIGAS is studying the conflict. And, in fact, we suspect that there is some land that has not been paid for yet,” said Elan Biantoro, Head of Public Relations for BPMIGAS.[361]
According to the company, Chevron has paid 8.6 billion rupiah (approximately US$ 1 million) for compensation for an area of 457.19 hectares, which consisted of 296 claimants. The company rejected 65 claimants because they were not included the 457.19 hectares.[362] This statement has been criticized by the community, which maintains that the company uses 600 hectares of land. Chevron is violating its own map, says the community.
Since Chevron has not responded to the community’s concerns, the community organized another blockade on November 25, 2010. Arifin Ahmad, Secretary of the Peasant Group Rantau Bais Terpadu, said, “We are forced to blockade the road again because so far Chevron has not been willing to pay compensation for our land.”[363] He added that the community will stay there to maintain the blockade until there is significant change in Chevron Pacific Indonesia’s position. Arifin stated, “If there is no change in Chevron’s position, we will stay here.”[364]
WALHI, together with other networks and the local communities, will continue to end the environmental, social and economic destruction in Riau, and in other provinces in Indonesia.
“Let me die here. There is no use for me to stay alive. Chevron does not care about my land. The company is very cruel.”
- Words yelled by Mr Darmiadi in an attempted suicide from a Chevron electricity tower, September 14, 2009.[345]
Today, Chevron, through its Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI) subsidiary (formerly Caltex Pacific Indonesia), is Indonesia’s largest oil producer, with total daily production averaging 477,000 barrels of oil and 611 million cubic feet of natural gas in 2010.[348] Chevron’s Indonesian operations include oil, natural gas and geothermal power-generation.
Chevron Gets an Award in 2010!
 |
| TATA HAIRA |
| Spilled oil resulting from an October 2010 oil pipeline explosion in Manggala Jonson Village. Two local girls suffered burn wounds in the explosion. |
Chevron's Oil Pipeline: A Time-Bomb for Local People
On October 28 2010, CPI’s oil pipeline exploded in Manggala Jonson Village, Tanah Putih Sub District, District Rokan Hilir, Riau Province. Two girls, six-year old Wanda and 16-year old Rini, suffered burn wounds.Local community member Mr. Yunus said that both girls suffered burn wounds because they were covered with hot crude oil from the exploded pipe. Mr. Yunus added that the incident initially sounded like a bomb blast. After recovering from their initial shock, the local community realized that the pipe had exploded and was spurting oil 10 meters high. When the incident happened, a motorbike owned by a local community member was thrown a distance of 15 meters.[355]
 |
TATA HAIRA
Spilled oil resulting from the 2010 pipeline explosion
in Manggala Jonson Village. |
According to Mr. Yunus, Chevron and its heavy equipment team came two hours after the explosion to repair the pipe.[357]
A Waste Ditch Overflowed, Local Community Houses Flooded
Also in 2010, local communities in the Rumbai Coastal area complained that their houses were continually flooded due to the overflow of a Chevron waste ditch. The coordinator of the Rumbai Community and Rumbai Coastal area reported this to the police on February 27, 2010. The community has suffered from serious skin problems, but Chevron has not paid any attention.The Head of the Local Parliament Commission, Aswendi, said that Chevron had promised to clean the ditch. “Obviously, this is Chevron’s responsibility. When we called them (to the Local Parliament House), they promised to undertake dredging to avoid flooding into the community neighborhood. If flooding happens, we will call them again,” said Aswendi.[358]
Mr. Hanafi Kadir, Communications Manager of Chevron Pacific Indonesia said, “this (the flood) is not merely caused by shallowed drainage, but also because of the development impact. There is no more water catchment area. We admit that probably the drainage got shallowed but we have done dredging.”[359]
Land Seizure
On October 25, 2010, seventy-five community members joined the Rantau Bais Terpadu peasant group for a demonstration at the gate to Batang Field, owned by Chevron Pacific Indonesia. For two days, the demonstrators cut off the gate to the oil field on land the company had seized for exploration and exploitation. They hung a banner urging Chevron Pacific Indonesia to leave immediately and they set up a tent in the middle of the road, stopping all vehicles that attempted to go into the location. The demonstration was conducted peacefully, although hundreds of police were equipped with rifles and hand guns.“Chevron has seized 130 hectares of our land since 2003, even though there are 65 claimants’ letters for the land,” said Masran Djasid, coordinator of community. “There are still 130 out of 600 hectares for which the company has not yet provided compensation. But Chevron has built dozens of oil pumps. Since 2005 Chevron has not displayed any goodwill. In fact, the community conducted a demonstration in February 2010, and sent a complaint to the Head of the District, the Governor, and even the National Parliament. But there has been no solution and the company has been violating its own map.”[360]
Currently, the state-owned Executive Agency for Upstream Oil and Gas (BPMIGAS) is investigating the land conflict between the villagers of Rantau Bais and Chevron. “The legal department of BPMIGAS is studying the conflict. And, in fact, we suspect that there is some land that has not been paid for yet,” said Elan Biantoro, Head of Public Relations for BPMIGAS.[361]
According to the company, Chevron has paid 8.6 billion rupiah (approximately US$ 1 million) for compensation for an area of 457.19 hectares, which consisted of 296 claimants. The company rejected 65 claimants because they were not included the 457.19 hectares.[362] This statement has been criticized by the community, which maintains that the company uses 600 hectares of land. Chevron is violating its own map, says the community.
Since Chevron has not responded to the community’s concerns, the community organized another blockade on November 25, 2010. Arifin Ahmad, Secretary of the Peasant Group Rantau Bais Terpadu, said, “We are forced to blockade the road again because so far Chevron has not been willing to pay compensation for our land.”[363] He added that the community will stay there to maintain the blockade until there is significant change in Chevron Pacific Indonesia’s position. Arifin stated, “If there is no change in Chevron’s position, we will stay here.”[364]
WALHI, together with other networks and the local communities, will continue to end the environmental, social and economic destruction in Riau, and in other provinces in Indonesia.
Sabtu, 13 November 2010
Tambang Boleh Mengganggu Kehidupan Warga, Warga Tidak Boleh Mengganggu Tambang
Jangankan Penjara, sampai mati pun saya tidak akan rela menyerahkan tanah saya. Seharusnya pemerintah berpihak kepada rakyat kecil, bukan malah ditangkap dan ditahan seperti ini. Saya salah apa, saya hanya mempertahankan hak saya. Suami saya di rantau, anak saya masih kecil-kecil. kalau saya dipenjara, siapa yang mau kasih makan mereka.
(Wa Ode Hanasia, pada saat pertemuan para tahanan dengan Wakil Ketua Komnas
di ruang rapat Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Klas II A Bau-Bau pada 8 Juni 2010 pukul 14.15)
di ruang rapat Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Klas II A Bau-Bau pada 8 Juni 2010 pukul 14.15)
Mayoritas rakyat Kecamatan Talaga hidup sebagai nelayan. Namun daerah mereka ditetapkan Pemerintah Kabupaten Buton sebagai pusat kegiatan pertambangan, industri dan kegiatan penangkapan ikan dan budidaya perairan. Hal kontradiktif dalam kecamatan seluas 71,31 Km2 dengan 10.091 jiwa tersebar di 5 (lima) Desa. Hampir 90 persen penduduk Kecamatan Talaga pernah bekerja sebagai buruh migran, mengindikasikan daya dukung alam terhadap kehidupan mereka terbatas. Terlebih lagi bila pertambangan harus masuk.
Konflik tambang dengan warga sekitar pun hanya menunggu waktu. Dan itu berpuncak pada 17 Mei 2010. Setelah aksi warga sebanyak dua ribu orang pada 16 Mei menuntut dialog dengan perusahaan tidak memuaskan warga, esoknya warga berjumlah seratus orang diperhadapkan dengan preman. Massa melawan dan berujung pengrusakan sejumlah fasilitas camp perusahaan.
Cerita ini berawal saat PT. Arga Morini Indah (AMI) melakukan eksplorasi, dilanjutkan eksploitasi sejak 2007 sampai sekarang. Warga resah karena tanah dan tanaman mereka dijadikan kawasan tambang nikel. Lokasi kuasa pertambangan eksploitasi PT. AMI, berada di atas tanah warga warga Talaga seluas 2.000 Ha. Digunakan warga sebagai tempat bercocok tanam. Kawasan pertambangan ini pula satu-satunya sumber air bersih warga Talaga.
Konflik telah terjadi sejak tahun 2008. Warga melakukan demonstransi menentang masuknya PT. AMI. Namun perlahan warga menerima kehadiran PT. AMI dengan beberapa syarat, di antaranya: Pembayaran ganti rugi lahan sebesar Rp. 5.000/Meter2, ganti rugi tanaman sebesar Rp. 500.000/pohon, dan penerimaan tenaga kerja dari warga Talaga.
Namun PT AMI tidak menghormati kesepakatan dengan warga warga yang telah memberikan toleransi dan menanggung kehidupan yang telah terganggu. Sampai Agustus 2010, dari 142 orang pemilik lahan, baru 42 orang yang telah dibayarkan ganti rugi. Perusahaan pun membuat mekanisme kompensasi baru. Warga diberikan pilihan antara memilih pergantian lahan, atau ganti rugi tanaman. Sebanyak 42 warga yang telah terdesak kebutuhan hidup mengambil pilihan tersebut. Yang lainnya, tetap berusaha kepada kesepakatan awal. Ironisnya, ganti rugi tanah mengalami penurunan harga, dari Rp. 5.000/M2, turun menjadi Rp. 2.500/ M2.
Tidak ada dukungan Pemerintah bagi perjuangan warga. PT. AMI menitipkan dana Community Development kepada Pemerintah Kabupaten Buton. Warga tidak diberikan dana dalam bentuk uang tunai. Pemerintah mungkin beranggapan warga belum bijak dalam membelanjakan uang. Warga justru diberikan bantuan dalam bentuk beras miskin. Suatu kebijakan rentan korupsi.
Belum selesai persoalan ganti rugi, ditengah proses penambangan justru timbul persoalan lain. Budidaya rumput laut sebanyak 100 kepala keluarga mengalami kegagalan panen setiap tahun.Akibat limbah tambang langsung mengalir ke laut. Kondisi topografi berbukit-bukit dengan ketinggian sampai 100 meter di atas permukaan laut, menyebabkan air limbah tambang berlumpur langsung mengalir ke laut sangat lancar, tepat di areal budidaya nelayan-nelayan Talaga.
Warga Talaga terjepit. Tanah sebagian telah diakuisisi AMI dengan sokongan penuh pemerintah daerah dan aparat keamanan. Laut sudah dipenuhi lumpur-lumpur pertambangan. Bahkan jika hendak menangkap ikan mereka harus mengayuh sampai 2 mil laut, sesuatu yang tidak pernah terjadi sebelumnya.
Kejaksaan menggunakan pasal kontroversial dalam Undang-undang no 4 tahun 2009 tentang Pertambangan Mineral dan Batu Bara Indonesia, 2009 yang sedang diperjuangkan oleh WALHI dan sejumlah organisasi non pemerintah dan warga sekitar tambang untuk ditinjau oleh Mahkamah Konstitusi. Pasal 162 menyatakan, setiap orang yang merintangi atau mengganggu kegiatan usaha pertambangan yang telah memenuhi syarat-syarat, dipidana dengan kurungan paling lama satu tahun, atau denda paling banyak seratus juta rupiah. Dengan begitu, diskusi dampak lingkungan oleh tambang atau demonstrasi damai bisa ditafsirkan mengganggu pertambangan yang telah memiliki izin.
Sonny Keraf, mantan anggota DPR, terlibat langsung dalam pembuatan undang-undang ini, dalam sebuah diskusi dengan WALHI menyatakan pasal ini tidak dimaksudkan meluas mengenai siapa saja yang kritis atas menolak tambang. Hanya berlaku buat mereka yang telah melepas lahan, namun masih mengganggu tambang atas alasan tentang tanah tersebut. Namun, pernyataan Sonny tidak ada dalam penjelasan undang-undang tersebut.
Dalam dakwaannya, jaksa penuntut umum menyatakan “Ketika perusahaan PT. AMI selaku pemegang izin usaha pertambangan nikel di Desa Wulu Kecamatan Talaga Raya Kabupaten Buton dan telah mendapat persetujuan dari Menteri Kehutanan dan Bupati Buton untuk melaksanakan kegiatan penambangan, sedang melakukan aktivitas pertambangan berupa pengapalan ore nikel di dermaga PT AMI, 15 Mei 2020, para terdakwa bersama massa pengunjuk rasa datang memaksa menghentikan kegiatan PT MAI tersebut, degan naik ke atas kapal tongkang, dan kemudian memaksa menurunkan yang sedang beroperasi dari atas tongkangnya. Memblokir jalan dengan menumpuk batu-batu di tengah jalan dengan maksud agar mobil-mobil perusahaan tidak bisa lewat, serta memasang papan dan mendirikan tenda di dermaga serta menduduki/berada di tenda tersebut agar kegiatan pengapalan ore nikel tidak terlaksana. PT AMI tidak dapat melaksanakan aktivitas pertambangan selama beberpa hari.”
Sementara itu kehidupan warga telah terganggu berbulan-bulan, dalam tiga tahun terakhir semenjak PT. AMI beroperasi. Dan akan masih terus terganggu karena operasi tambang tetap berjalan. Sebab tambang boleh mengganggu warga yang telah hidup di ruang mereka sejak masa yang lama, bahkan mereka tidak ingat lagi; tapi warga tidak boleh mengganggu pertambangan yang telah berizin (lengkap), masuk ke lingkungan mereka dalam waktu kurang satu dekade terakhir.
Konflik tambang dengan warga sekitar pun hanya menunggu waktu. Dan itu berpuncak pada 17 Mei 2010. Setelah aksi warga sebanyak dua ribu orang pada 16 Mei menuntut dialog dengan perusahaan tidak memuaskan warga, esoknya warga berjumlah seratus orang diperhadapkan dengan preman. Massa melawan dan berujung pengrusakan sejumlah fasilitas camp perusahaan.
Cerita ini berawal saat PT. Arga Morini Indah (AMI) melakukan eksplorasi, dilanjutkan eksploitasi sejak 2007 sampai sekarang. Warga resah karena tanah dan tanaman mereka dijadikan kawasan tambang nikel. Lokasi kuasa pertambangan eksploitasi PT. AMI, berada di atas tanah warga warga Talaga seluas 2.000 Ha. Digunakan warga sebagai tempat bercocok tanam. Kawasan pertambangan ini pula satu-satunya sumber air bersih warga Talaga.
Konflik telah terjadi sejak tahun 2008. Warga melakukan demonstransi menentang masuknya PT. AMI. Namun perlahan warga menerima kehadiran PT. AMI dengan beberapa syarat, di antaranya: Pembayaran ganti rugi lahan sebesar Rp. 5.000/Meter2, ganti rugi tanaman sebesar Rp. 500.000/pohon, dan penerimaan tenaga kerja dari warga Talaga.
Namun PT AMI tidak menghormati kesepakatan dengan warga warga yang telah memberikan toleransi dan menanggung kehidupan yang telah terganggu. Sampai Agustus 2010, dari 142 orang pemilik lahan, baru 42 orang yang telah dibayarkan ganti rugi. Perusahaan pun membuat mekanisme kompensasi baru. Warga diberikan pilihan antara memilih pergantian lahan, atau ganti rugi tanaman. Sebanyak 42 warga yang telah terdesak kebutuhan hidup mengambil pilihan tersebut. Yang lainnya, tetap berusaha kepada kesepakatan awal. Ironisnya, ganti rugi tanah mengalami penurunan harga, dari Rp. 5.000/M2, turun menjadi Rp. 2.500/ M2.
Tidak ada dukungan Pemerintah bagi perjuangan warga. PT. AMI menitipkan dana Community Development kepada Pemerintah Kabupaten Buton. Warga tidak diberikan dana dalam bentuk uang tunai. Pemerintah mungkin beranggapan warga belum bijak dalam membelanjakan uang. Warga justru diberikan bantuan dalam bentuk beras miskin. Suatu kebijakan rentan korupsi.
Belum selesai persoalan ganti rugi, ditengah proses penambangan justru timbul persoalan lain. Budidaya rumput laut sebanyak 100 kepala keluarga mengalami kegagalan panen setiap tahun.Akibat limbah tambang langsung mengalir ke laut. Kondisi topografi berbukit-bukit dengan ketinggian sampai 100 meter di atas permukaan laut, menyebabkan air limbah tambang berlumpur langsung mengalir ke laut sangat lancar, tepat di areal budidaya nelayan-nelayan Talaga.
Warga Talaga terjepit. Tanah sebagian telah diakuisisi AMI dengan sokongan penuh pemerintah daerah dan aparat keamanan. Laut sudah dipenuhi lumpur-lumpur pertambangan. Bahkan jika hendak menangkap ikan mereka harus mengayuh sampai 2 mil laut, sesuatu yang tidak pernah terjadi sebelumnya.
Pasal Kontroversial
Kejaksaan menggunakan pasal kontroversial dalam Undang-undang no 4 tahun 2009 tentang Pertambangan Mineral dan Batu Bara Indonesia, 2009 yang sedang diperjuangkan oleh WALHI dan sejumlah organisasi non pemerintah dan warga sekitar tambang untuk ditinjau oleh Mahkamah Konstitusi. Pasal 162 menyatakan, setiap orang yang merintangi atau mengganggu kegiatan usaha pertambangan yang telah memenuhi syarat-syarat, dipidana dengan kurungan paling lama satu tahun, atau denda paling banyak seratus juta rupiah. Dengan begitu, diskusi dampak lingkungan oleh tambang atau demonstrasi damai bisa ditafsirkan mengganggu pertambangan yang telah memiliki izin.
Sonny Keraf, mantan anggota DPR, terlibat langsung dalam pembuatan undang-undang ini, dalam sebuah diskusi dengan WALHI menyatakan pasal ini tidak dimaksudkan meluas mengenai siapa saja yang kritis atas menolak tambang. Hanya berlaku buat mereka yang telah melepas lahan, namun masih mengganggu tambang atas alasan tentang tanah tersebut. Namun, pernyataan Sonny tidak ada dalam penjelasan undang-undang tersebut.
Dalam dakwaannya, jaksa penuntut umum menyatakan “Ketika perusahaan PT. AMI selaku pemegang izin usaha pertambangan nikel di Desa Wulu Kecamatan Talaga Raya Kabupaten Buton dan telah mendapat persetujuan dari Menteri Kehutanan dan Bupati Buton untuk melaksanakan kegiatan penambangan, sedang melakukan aktivitas pertambangan berupa pengapalan ore nikel di dermaga PT AMI, 15 Mei 2020, para terdakwa bersama massa pengunjuk rasa datang memaksa menghentikan kegiatan PT MAI tersebut, degan naik ke atas kapal tongkang, dan kemudian memaksa menurunkan yang sedang beroperasi dari atas tongkangnya. Memblokir jalan dengan menumpuk batu-batu di tengah jalan dengan maksud agar mobil-mobil perusahaan tidak bisa lewat, serta memasang papan dan mendirikan tenda di dermaga serta menduduki/berada di tenda tersebut agar kegiatan pengapalan ore nikel tidak terlaksana. PT AMI tidak dapat melaksanakan aktivitas pertambangan selama beberpa hari.”
Sementara itu kehidupan warga telah terganggu berbulan-bulan, dalam tiga tahun terakhir semenjak PT. AMI beroperasi. Dan akan masih terus terganggu karena operasi tambang tetap berjalan. Sebab tambang boleh mengganggu warga yang telah hidup di ruang mereka sejak masa yang lama, bahkan mereka tidak ingat lagi; tapi warga tidak boleh mengganggu pertambangan yang telah berizin (lengkap), masuk ke lingkungan mereka dalam waktu kurang satu dekade terakhir.
Kamis, 04 November 2010
Govt told to develop renewable energy
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National
Environmental activists have renewed calls for the government to expedite what they call the “energy revolution”, by increasing the use of renewable energy and phasing out fossil fuels.
The calls were made by Greenpeace, the Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) and the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) on Wednesday.
The environmental groups conducted a joint study on the impact of coal-fired power plants in Cilacap in Central Java and Cirebon in West Java, and found that coal’s “footprint” was destructive in many ways, from the mining process to power plants that left local residents mired in poverty with poor access to electricity.
The report, titled Coal Kills, was published last month in Cirebon, when the government was banning Greenpeace’s flagship, the Rainbow Warrior, from entering Indonesian waters.
“Around 80 percent of the 462 people in Cilacap who underwent health checks had respiratory problems ranging from infections to bronchitis caused by coal dust,” Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Arief Fiyanto said.
The report says local farmers and fisherman in Cirebon also suffered financial losses from coal pollution.
“The government never calculates the external impacts of coal, such as environmental damage or forest loss caused by coal mining,” he said.
Walhi energy campaigner Pius Ginting said the government should phase out the use of coal as an energy source if Indonesia wants to cut emissions and prevent climate change.
“Coal is no longer suitable as an energy source given the damage it causes,” he said.
Indonesia, one of the biggest global producers of coal, has coal deposits of up to 109,940 billion tons in South Sumatra, East Kalimantan and South Kalimantan.
In 2009, Indonesia produced about 263 million tons of coal, of which 230 million tons was exported, making Indonesia the biggest coal exporter after Australia.
Climate experts have blamed the burning of coal-based fuels as the main contributor to global warming.
Greenpeace renewable energy affairs campaigner, Hindun Mulaika, said the government should revolutionize its energy policy by shifting the country to renewable energy sources.
Hindun said Indonesia had abundant sources of renewable energy such as water, wind and solar power, but those sources remained untapped because of a lack of relevant government policy.
“There must be a breakthrough on regulations to promote renewable energy resources, such as eliminating subsidies given to coal-based fuels. Otherwise, Indonesia will never move to use renewable energy,” she said.
The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has set up a new directorate general on new and renewable energy and energy conservation.
Indonesia currently produces about 4.1 million kiloliters of bioethanol and 120,000 kiloliters of biodiesel per year.
The government also expects to boost geothermal energy in its power sector.
Indonesia’s geothermal capacity is estimated to be around 28,000 megawatts, but only 5 percent of this capacity has been developed.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/11/04/govt-told-develop-renewable-energy.html
Environmental activists have renewed calls for the government to expedite what they call the “energy revolution”, by increasing the use of renewable energy and phasing out fossil fuels.
The calls were made by Greenpeace, the Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) and the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) on Wednesday.
The environmental groups conducted a joint study on the impact of coal-fired power plants in Cilacap in Central Java and Cirebon in West Java, and found that coal’s “footprint” was destructive in many ways, from the mining process to power plants that left local residents mired in poverty with poor access to electricity.
The report, titled Coal Kills, was published last month in Cirebon, when the government was banning Greenpeace’s flagship, the Rainbow Warrior, from entering Indonesian waters.
“Around 80 percent of the 462 people in Cilacap who underwent health checks had respiratory problems ranging from infections to bronchitis caused by coal dust,” Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Arief Fiyanto said.
The report says local farmers and fisherman in Cirebon also suffered financial losses from coal pollution.
“The government never calculates the external impacts of coal, such as environmental damage or forest loss caused by coal mining,” he said.
Walhi energy campaigner Pius Ginting said the government should phase out the use of coal as an energy source if Indonesia wants to cut emissions and prevent climate change.
“Coal is no longer suitable as an energy source given the damage it causes,” he said.
Indonesia, one of the biggest global producers of coal, has coal deposits of up to 109,940 billion tons in South Sumatra, East Kalimantan and South Kalimantan.
In 2009, Indonesia produced about 263 million tons of coal, of which 230 million tons was exported, making Indonesia the biggest coal exporter after Australia.
Climate experts have blamed the burning of coal-based fuels as the main contributor to global warming.
Greenpeace renewable energy affairs campaigner, Hindun Mulaika, said the government should revolutionize its energy policy by shifting the country to renewable energy sources.
Hindun said Indonesia had abundant sources of renewable energy such as water, wind and solar power, but those sources remained untapped because of a lack of relevant government policy.
“There must be a breakthrough on regulations to promote renewable energy resources, such as eliminating subsidies given to coal-based fuels. Otherwise, Indonesia will never move to use renewable energy,” she said.
The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has set up a new directorate general on new and renewable energy and energy conservation.
Indonesia currently produces about 4.1 million kiloliters of bioethanol and 120,000 kiloliters of biodiesel per year.
The government also expects to boost geothermal energy in its power sector.
Indonesia’s geothermal capacity is estimated to be around 28,000 megawatts, but only 5 percent of this capacity has been developed.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/11/04/govt-told-develop-renewable-energy.html
Minggu, 23 Mei 2010
Dilema Minyak
Mengamati sejarah perkembangan sumber energi manusia, maka terdapat urutan dari kayu, beralih ke batu bara, selanjutnya minyak dan gas menjadi sumber energi. Peralihan tersebut karena rangakaian energi yang terakhir lebih tidak merusak lingkungan. Penggunaan kayu sebagai sumber energi utama dan massal akan lebih buruk dari penggunaan batu-bara, dan batu bara lebih buruk dari minyak dan seterusnya.
Kini mayoritas dunia mengandalkan minyak sebagai sumber energi utama. Perebutan minyak telah menjadi sumber peperangan (yang terbaru di antaranya adalah invasi Amerika terhadap Irak dan Afganistan). Juga kerusakan lingkungan terjadi akibat eksploitasi minyak. Banyak kasus kerusakan lingkungan berkaitan dengan eksploitasi minyak ini, seperti pencemaran laut di daerah Balikpapan, Indramayu Jawa Barat. Dampak buruk ini juga terjadi di negara lain tumpahnya minyak dari tanker Exxon Valdez sebanyak 40 juta liter pada tahun 1989 ke laut Alaska. Dan bila eksploitasi minyak berada di bawah pemerintahan militeristik dan otoriter, sebagaimana Pertamina pada masa pemerintahan Orde Baru, dia menjadi lahan korupsi bagi segelintir elite penguasa negeri.
Karena dampak energi fosil telah melampaui daya dukung alam, maka dewasa ini beberapa negara telah mau beranjak meninggalkan energi fosil (di antaranya minyak) sebagai sumber energi. Salah satu di antaranya, tawaran dari Pemerintahan Ekuador yang memilih tidak mengeksploitasi minyak mereka yang terdapat di kawasan hutan Yanusi, dengan pertimbangan resiko kerusakan lingkungan, pengusiran masyarakat adat/lokal.
Minyak sebagai salah satu energi fosil juga berkontribusi mengeluarkan gas rumah kaca yang mengakibatkan pemanasan global dan perubahan iklim. Dampak tersebut mulai terasa saat ini, seperti peningkatan suhu hingga mencairnya es di daerah kutub, musim kemarau dan hujan yang makin ekstrem, energi badai dan puting beliung yang makin meningkat, dan lain-lain.
Konsensus para ilmuwan menyatakan emisi gas rumah kaca harus dikurangi 60-80 persen dari tingkat emisi tahun 1990 dalam beberapa dekade singkat ke depan. Sementara itu, Protokol Kyoto hanya membuat target pengurangan emisi sebanyak 5,2 persen di bawah tahun 1990 untuk masa tahun 2008-2012. Sebuah pengurangan sebenarnya tidak berarti, namun masih juga negera penghasil gas rumah kaca terbesar seperti AS menolak mengikuti Protokol Kyoto ini pada masa pemerintahan Bush.
Mengatasi dampak perubahan iklim dengan cara mengurangi konsumsi minyak melalui mekanisme penaikan harga (pencabutan subsidi) bukan jalan keluar yang adil. Akses rakyat, khususnya mayoritas kelompok miskin terhadap energi, secara moral dan prinsip keadilan dan demokrasi atas akses energi, tidak boleh dipersulit.
Untuk itu, keluar dari energi fosil (salah satunya minyak) harus melalui jalan yang adil, tidak mengorbankan mayoritas rakyat miskin.
Perusahaan-perusahaan besar dan negara maju seperti Amerika Serikat mendorong agar negeri berkembang melakukan privatisasi (swastanisasi) pengelolaan minyak dan gas. Privatisasi perusahaan minyak dan gas juga bukan jalan keluar ketergantungan terhadap minyak. Hal tersebut hanya menyebabkan harga minyak semakin mahal dan menjadi konsumsi kalangan segelitir elite. Sebagaimana rekomendasi sebuah studi yang disponsori oleh James Baker III Institute for Public Policy of Rice University dan Council on Foreign Relation (sebuah lembaga kajian hubungan luar negeri di Amerika Serikat yang berpengaruh terhadap kebijakan pemerintah AS) pada tahun 2001 menyatakan bahwa minyak mengalami ”pasokan yang sedikit” karena ”kurangnya investasi” dalam produksi baru dan ”negara-negara [penghasil minyak sering mengalami] goncangan [politik]”. Kelebihan kapasitas telah lenyap dan hampir tidak ada lagi karena negara produsen minyak sebagian memperuntukkan minyaknya untuk proyek-proyek sosial daripada investasi pengembangan produksi kapasitas baru. Dengan demikian pandangan lembaga studi yang dekat dengan kepentingan perusahaan minyak internasional ini bahwa keuntungan minyak tidak boleh digunakan untuk peningkatan mutu pendidikan, kesehatan, sebagaimana saat ini dilakukan negara seperti Venezuela.
Untuk itu, lembaga tersebut mengeluarkan rekomendasinya pada tahun 2007 ”agar semua perusahaan minyak nasional [yang dimiliki negara] diprivatisasi, investor asing diperlakukan setara dengan perusahaan minyak lokal, dan OPEC sebaiknya dibubarkan, yang akan memungkinkan terwujudnya perdagangan bebas dan pasar yang kompetitif untuk menyediakan energi yang dibutuhkan dunia dengan harga yang ditentukan oleh pasar.”
Celakanya, kemauan kepentingan korporasi besar dari negeri maju untuk memprivatisasi/meliberalisasi minyak telah beresonansi di Indonesia. Hal tersebut tampak dengan dikeluarkannya UU Minyak dan Gas pada tahun 2001. UU Migas No. 22/2001 mendorong penghapusan subsidi BBM dan melepaskan harga BBM sesuai dengan harga pasar internasional. Proses pembuatan undang-undang tersebut dikendalikan oleh kekuatan yang berkaitan erat dengan kepentingan korporasi, yakni USAID (United States Agency for International Development), sebagaimana pengakuan mereka “USAID has been the primary bilateral donor working on energy sector reform.…” Khusus mengenai penyusunan UU Migas, USAID secara terbuka menyatakan, “The ADB and USAID worked together on drafting a new oil and gas law in 2000”.
Pengembangan energi terbarukan seperti tenaga surya, angin, geothermal skala kecil, mikro hidro adalah beberapa di antaranya yang mendorong pengelolaan energi menjadi lebih terdesentralisasi ke komunitas, dan tidak merusak lingkungan dan tidak terjadi penyingkiran terhadap masyarakat yang berada di sekitar sumber energi, sebagaimana terjadi dengan pertambangan minyak.
Beberapa inisiatif untuk pengembangan energi terbarukan telah ada ada di Indonesia, seperti mikro hidro di Lampung dan Kalimantan Timur di antaranya, Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Surya di Gunung Kidul. Kebijakan tersebut harus didukung dan dipermudah oleh pemerintah Indonesia. Dan negara maju sepantasnya memberikan hibah teknologi untuk pengembangan energi terbarukan ke negara dunia berkembang (bukan dalam bentuk pengalihan pembayaran hutang negara dunia). Hibah tersebut sebagai wujud pembayaran utang ekologi negara maju yang telah berkontribusi lebih besar dalam pengerusakan kerusakan lingkungan hidup dunia, juga kerusakan lingkungan negara berkembang. Tugas kita mendesak pemerintah mengembangkan energi terbarukan, dan menghentikan ketergantungan terhadap energi fosil dengan cara adil, tidak memberatkan negara miskin dan rakyat miskin. Privatisasi adalah kepentingan korporasi.
(tulisan ini dibuat untuk buku pengantar pementasan teater Ladang Perminus)
Agustus 2009
Kini mayoritas dunia mengandalkan minyak sebagai sumber energi utama. Perebutan minyak telah menjadi sumber peperangan (yang terbaru di antaranya adalah invasi Amerika terhadap Irak dan Afganistan). Juga kerusakan lingkungan terjadi akibat eksploitasi minyak. Banyak kasus kerusakan lingkungan berkaitan dengan eksploitasi minyak ini, seperti pencemaran laut di daerah Balikpapan, Indramayu Jawa Barat. Dampak buruk ini juga terjadi di negara lain tumpahnya minyak dari tanker Exxon Valdez sebanyak 40 juta liter pada tahun 1989 ke laut Alaska. Dan bila eksploitasi minyak berada di bawah pemerintahan militeristik dan otoriter, sebagaimana Pertamina pada masa pemerintahan Orde Baru, dia menjadi lahan korupsi bagi segelintir elite penguasa negeri.
Karena dampak energi fosil telah melampaui daya dukung alam, maka dewasa ini beberapa negara telah mau beranjak meninggalkan energi fosil (di antaranya minyak) sebagai sumber energi. Salah satu di antaranya, tawaran dari Pemerintahan Ekuador yang memilih tidak mengeksploitasi minyak mereka yang terdapat di kawasan hutan Yanusi, dengan pertimbangan resiko kerusakan lingkungan, pengusiran masyarakat adat/lokal.
Minyak dan Kerusakan Lingkungan
Minyak sebagai salah satu energi fosil juga berkontribusi mengeluarkan gas rumah kaca yang mengakibatkan pemanasan global dan perubahan iklim. Dampak tersebut mulai terasa saat ini, seperti peningkatan suhu hingga mencairnya es di daerah kutub, musim kemarau dan hujan yang makin ekstrem, energi badai dan puting beliung yang makin meningkat, dan lain-lain.
Konsensus para ilmuwan menyatakan emisi gas rumah kaca harus dikurangi 60-80 persen dari tingkat emisi tahun 1990 dalam beberapa dekade singkat ke depan. Sementara itu, Protokol Kyoto hanya membuat target pengurangan emisi sebanyak 5,2 persen di bawah tahun 1990 untuk masa tahun 2008-2012. Sebuah pengurangan sebenarnya tidak berarti, namun masih juga negera penghasil gas rumah kaca terbesar seperti AS menolak mengikuti Protokol Kyoto ini pada masa pemerintahan Bush.
Mengatasi dampak perubahan iklim dengan cara mengurangi konsumsi minyak melalui mekanisme penaikan harga (pencabutan subsidi) bukan jalan keluar yang adil. Akses rakyat, khususnya mayoritas kelompok miskin terhadap energi, secara moral dan prinsip keadilan dan demokrasi atas akses energi, tidak boleh dipersulit.
Privatisasi Minyak: Menguntungkan Korporasi, Merugikan Rakyat Miskin
Untuk itu, keluar dari energi fosil (salah satunya minyak) harus melalui jalan yang adil, tidak mengorbankan mayoritas rakyat miskin.
Perusahaan-perusahaan besar dan negara maju seperti Amerika Serikat mendorong agar negeri berkembang melakukan privatisasi (swastanisasi) pengelolaan minyak dan gas. Privatisasi perusahaan minyak dan gas juga bukan jalan keluar ketergantungan terhadap minyak. Hal tersebut hanya menyebabkan harga minyak semakin mahal dan menjadi konsumsi kalangan segelitir elite. Sebagaimana rekomendasi sebuah studi yang disponsori oleh James Baker III Institute for Public Policy of Rice University dan Council on Foreign Relation (sebuah lembaga kajian hubungan luar negeri di Amerika Serikat yang berpengaruh terhadap kebijakan pemerintah AS) pada tahun 2001 menyatakan bahwa minyak mengalami ”pasokan yang sedikit” karena ”kurangnya investasi” dalam produksi baru dan ”negara-negara [penghasil minyak sering mengalami] goncangan [politik]”. Kelebihan kapasitas telah lenyap dan hampir tidak ada lagi karena negara produsen minyak sebagian memperuntukkan minyaknya untuk proyek-proyek sosial daripada investasi pengembangan produksi kapasitas baru. Dengan demikian pandangan lembaga studi yang dekat dengan kepentingan perusahaan minyak internasional ini bahwa keuntungan minyak tidak boleh digunakan untuk peningkatan mutu pendidikan, kesehatan, sebagaimana saat ini dilakukan negara seperti Venezuela.
Untuk itu, lembaga tersebut mengeluarkan rekomendasinya pada tahun 2007 ”agar semua perusahaan minyak nasional [yang dimiliki negara] diprivatisasi, investor asing diperlakukan setara dengan perusahaan minyak lokal, dan OPEC sebaiknya dibubarkan, yang akan memungkinkan terwujudnya perdagangan bebas dan pasar yang kompetitif untuk menyediakan energi yang dibutuhkan dunia dengan harga yang ditentukan oleh pasar.”
Celakanya, kemauan kepentingan korporasi besar dari negeri maju untuk memprivatisasi/meliberalisasi minyak telah beresonansi di Indonesia. Hal tersebut tampak dengan dikeluarkannya UU Minyak dan Gas pada tahun 2001. UU Migas No. 22/2001 mendorong penghapusan subsidi BBM dan melepaskan harga BBM sesuai dengan harga pasar internasional. Proses pembuatan undang-undang tersebut dikendalikan oleh kekuatan yang berkaitan erat dengan kepentingan korporasi, yakni USAID (United States Agency for International Development), sebagaimana pengakuan mereka “USAID has been the primary bilateral donor working on energy sector reform.…” Khusus mengenai penyusunan UU Migas, USAID secara terbuka menyatakan, “The ADB and USAID worked together on drafting a new oil and gas law in 2000”.
Solusi: Energi Terbarukan Berbasiskan Komunitas
Pengembangan energi terbarukan seperti tenaga surya, angin, geothermal skala kecil, mikro hidro adalah beberapa di antaranya yang mendorong pengelolaan energi menjadi lebih terdesentralisasi ke komunitas, dan tidak merusak lingkungan dan tidak terjadi penyingkiran terhadap masyarakat yang berada di sekitar sumber energi, sebagaimana terjadi dengan pertambangan minyak.
Beberapa inisiatif untuk pengembangan energi terbarukan telah ada ada di Indonesia, seperti mikro hidro di Lampung dan Kalimantan Timur di antaranya, Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Surya di Gunung Kidul. Kebijakan tersebut harus didukung dan dipermudah oleh pemerintah Indonesia. Dan negara maju sepantasnya memberikan hibah teknologi untuk pengembangan energi terbarukan ke negara dunia berkembang (bukan dalam bentuk pengalihan pembayaran hutang negara dunia). Hibah tersebut sebagai wujud pembayaran utang ekologi negara maju yang telah berkontribusi lebih besar dalam pengerusakan kerusakan lingkungan hidup dunia, juga kerusakan lingkungan negara berkembang. Tugas kita mendesak pemerintah mengembangkan energi terbarukan, dan menghentikan ketergantungan terhadap energi fosil dengan cara adil, tidak memberatkan negara miskin dan rakyat miskin. Privatisasi adalah kepentingan korporasi.
(tulisan ini dibuat untuk buku pengantar pementasan teater Ladang Perminus)
Agustus 2009
Sabtu, 01 Mei 2010
Chevron in Indonesia - An Alternative 2009 Annual Report
Hariansyah Usman and Pius Ginting, WALHI - Friends of the Earth Indonesia
ON SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2009, MR. DARMIADI climbed atop a Chevron high voltage electricity tower in Pematang Pudu. Darmiadi, age 37, is a local sand miner and father of two. He was unable to work on his land because, he contended, it had been contaminated by Chevron’s oil. Two months earlier, Darmiadi sent a letter to Chevron asking the company to take responsibility. The company denied his request, denied responsibility, and further argued that because Chevron owned part of his land, Darmiadi should not be sand mining on the land anyway.[334] Twenty-one days later, Darmiadi sought to commit suicide from atop Chevron’s tower. Only the supportive words of neighbors brought him down safely.
Chevron has been in Indonesia for more than 85 years. It began exploring for oil here in 1924 as Standard Oil of California. Its oil production began in 1952. Chevron remained active in Indonesia throughout the infamously brutal and repressive decades of the Suharto dictatorship (1965-1998). The majority of Chevron’s oil production has, and continues to, take place in the Riau province in the center of the Sumatra Island, where it operates four onshore blocks, the largest of which, the Duri field, is one of the largest energy sources in the world.[335]
Today, Chevron, through its Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI) subsidiary (formerly Caltex Pacific Indonesia), is Indonesia’s largest oil producer, with daily oil production averaging around 243,000 barrels of oil a day, about half of Indonesia’s total oil output. Chevron’s Indonesian operations include oil, natural gas and geothermal power-generation.
If the average price of the crude oil from 1952-2008 were $20 per barrel, it would mean that Chevron’s Riau production has yielded some $220 billion. The Riau Economic Observer has found that, “If oil and gas companies indeed brought a good impact on the economy for local inhabitants, it should have affected Riau inhabitants 30 years ago. However, statistical data show that Riau was categorized the second most disadvantaged province in Indonesia in the 1980s.”[336]
Instead of wealth generation, Chevron’s Riau production has been plagued by economic injustice, environmental destruction, and the dislocation and disenfranchisement of indigenous populations. As a result, citizen resistance to Chevron has been a constant of life in Riau, often taking the form of massive protests against the company, with protestors at times numbering in the tens of thousands.
Chevron has employed brutal measures to quiet protests, including utilizing Indonesia’s notorious security services, bringing charges of human rights abuse, violence and intimidation.[337] For example, on January 27, 2000, Chevron paid the special Indonesia security force BRIMOB to overcome a series of actions and protests over land disputes and employment.[338] The BRIMOB are well-known for extreme human rights violations, including kidnapping, rape, torture, indiscriminate violence and murder.[339] As a result of the brutality of BRIMOB, 15 people involved in the protests against Chevron were wounded and five were hospitalized.[340]
“Our last fort defense is the Batang Pudu river. It is like a war, if our last fort defense is ruined, then it will become the end of the world for us. The remaining option is only death or never ending misery that we shall take.” - Bathin Musa, the head of Sakai Tribe at Petani Village, Bengkalis.[341]
The Sakai people are one of several Indigenous peoples in the Riau province. Other Indigenous communities include the Bonai, Talang Mamak, Laut, Akit and Hutan. The community life of the Sakai includes living on products of the forest, keeping livestock, fishing and planting gardens.[342]
The Sakai tribe was the original owner of the land on which Chevron’s oil and gas was found.[343] The Sakai owned the Minas, Belutu, Tingaran, Sinangan, Semunai, Panaso and Borumban areas of land. “Almost all the land at CPI was indeed our ulayat (customary) land, where we went for hunting and farming... The land acquisition by Caltex came from some Sakai people who sold their land, or came from land grabbing with very low compensation or even no compensation at all. From hundreds of thousands of hectare acres, we now only have five thousand hectare acres left.”[344]
The inhabitants of Riau have been plagued by contamination of their land and water by Chevron’s oil, making traditional methods of subsistence impossible and causing dire health effects.
In 1993, the villagers of Sungai Limau together with WALHI-Riau charged Chevron with contaminating the Siak and Limau Rivers. In a letter to the government and Caltex, they wrote:
In 2007, people in Batang Pudu village found hidden pipes around Chevron’s Central Mud Treating Facility (CMTF) at Arak Field. They witnessesed and smelled black water coming out from the pipe to Batang Pudu river. At the upper edge of the river, there was also black mud sediment from Chevron’s oil drilling. In January 2008, Mr. Atin, a fisherman from the Sakai tribe in Bengkalis Riau died after coughing blood for several months. He was the second fisherman to die in the village with these symptoms. The suspicion grew at the community that the death was caused by the polluted river where the fishermen work everyday, a river they believe to be contaminated by toxic waste from Chevron.
In response, the Sakai people at Pematang Pudu, together with WALHI, called on the local government to fix the situation, cite Chevron for the environmental damage, and investigate the site. The subsequent investigation identified four illegal toxic waste disposals.[347] Based on the sample of waste tested by an expert from the Agriculture University in Bogor West Java (IPB), there was evidence of environmental pollution at Pematang Pudu, Mandau sub district. The concentration of chemical material in the ditch was above the acceptable levels, especially for the chlorine and sulfate.[348]
The agency of environmental impact analysis (Bapedal Riau) found Chevron guilty.[349] Furthermore, the environmental impact analysis report released by BPK RI (The Audit Board of The Republic Indonesia) also found and highlighted violations of the environmental quality standard stipulated by government.[350] However, no action has been taken by either the government or Chevron to right this situation.
Chevron has rejected the accusations from the Sakai community. It claims to be the most progressive company in terms of preserving the environment and public health. The Manager of Communications and Media Relations, Hanafi Kadir, says that Chevron handles its waste very carefully, contracting its waste management to another company (PT Karya Lestari Perkasa). Regarding the skin diseases suffered by the local community at Tonggak Delapan village, Hanafi Kadir also refuses the community’s allegation that the disease is caused by polluted air from Chevron.[351]
In 2009, the Indonesian government issued a new environmental protection and management regulation. Rather than comply with the regulation, Chevron fought back. Chevron Senior Vice President of Sumatra Operations Support, A. Hamid Batubara, expressed particular concern over the new regulation’s air and water pollution controls, saying that implementation would have a deleterious effect on Chevron’s production totals.”[352] In response to Chevron’s protests, the Minister of Energy and Mineral resources, Darwin Zahedy Saleh, seems prepared to weaken the law.[353] The government also proposed delaying the new law.[354]
Chevron’s great influence over the Indonesian government continues to this day. Even including forcing it to “overlook” its own regulations, to the great detriment of local communities, and even local governments.
The Sakai tribe’s demand is simple. They want environmental restoration and compensation for their loss of income from the polluted river. They do not want money, they want land on which to earn their own living. But, to date, there has been no significant response by Chevron to the peoples’ demands.
WALHI, together with other networks and the local communities, will continue to end the environment, social and economic destruction in Riau, and in other provinces in Indonesia.
333 “Darmiadi Nekad Panjat Tower Listrik Chevron,” Tribun Pekanbaru, 14 Sept. 2009.
334 Ibid.
335 Chevron Corp., “Indonesia Fact Sheet,” Mar. 2010.
336 Umi Kalsum, “Chevron Produces 11 Billion Barrels of Oil,” RABU, February 18, 2009, VIVAnews.
337 Oil Watch. Chevron: the right hand of empire (2006) 80–81.
338 Ibid. at 81.
339 East Timor and Indonesian Action Network, “Background on Kopassus and Brimob,” 2008; Human Rights Watch, Indonesia: Out of Sight: Endemic Abuse and Impunity in Papua’s Central Highlands, Vol. 19, No. 10(C), July 2007.
340 Oil Watch (2006) at 80–81.
341 Derita Anak Sakai Interview with Bathin Musa, head of Sakai tribe.
342 Parsudi Suparlan, Orang Sakai di Riau: Masyarakat terasing dalam masyarakat Indonesia, (Yayasan Obor, 1995) 93.
343 Moszkowski, 1911.
344 Ahmad Arif and Agnes Rita Sulistywati, “Sayap Patah Para Sakai,” Kompas, 24 Apr. 2007.
345 Robert Weissman, “Caltex Corporate Colony: How an oil consortium pollutes Indonesia,” Multinational Monitor 1993, 15(11).
346 Ibid.
347 Riau Mandiri, “PT KLP Terbukti Cemari Lingkungan,” Posted on “Dari Atas” atau “Dari Bawah”: How an Oil Consortium Pollutes Indonesia Blog, 29 June 2007.
348 Ibid.
349 Radio Nederland Wereldomroep. “Chevron Dituduh Cemari Sungai di Riau,” 28 Feb. 2008.
350 BPK RI (The Audit Board of The Republic Indonesia). “The environmental impact analysis report”. August 2008.
351 “Chevron sangat komit dengan pencemaran lingkungan,” Riau Online, 3 June 2007.
352 Rudy Ariffianto, “UU lingkungan tekan produksi Chevron,” Bisnis Indonesia, 27 Feb. 2010.
353 Ibid.
354 “Government requests delay on new environment law,” Tempo Interaktif, 25 Feb. 2010.
“Let me die here. There is no use for me to stay alive. Chevron does not care about my land. The company is very cruel.”
- Words yelled by Mr Darmiadi in an attempted suicide
from a Chevron electricity tower, September 14, 2009.[333]
ON SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2009, MR. DARMIADI climbed atop a Chevron high voltage electricity tower in Pematang Pudu. Darmiadi, age 37, is a local sand miner and father of two. He was unable to work on his land because, he contended, it had been contaminated by Chevron’s oil. Two months earlier, Darmiadi sent a letter to Chevron asking the company to take responsibility. The company denied his request, denied responsibility, and further argued that because Chevron owned part of his land, Darmiadi should not be sand mining on the land anyway.[334] Twenty-one days later, Darmiadi sought to commit suicide from atop Chevron’s tower. Only the supportive words of neighbors brought him down safely.
Chevron has been in Indonesia for more than 85 years. It began exploring for oil here in 1924 as Standard Oil of California. Its oil production began in 1952. Chevron remained active in Indonesia throughout the infamously brutal and repressive decades of the Suharto dictatorship (1965-1998). The majority of Chevron’s oil production has, and continues to, take place in the Riau province in the center of the Sumatra Island, where it operates four onshore blocks, the largest of which, the Duri field, is one of the largest energy sources in the world.[335]
Today, Chevron, through its Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI) subsidiary (formerly Caltex Pacific Indonesia), is Indonesia’s largest oil producer, with daily oil production averaging around 243,000 barrels of oil a day, about half of Indonesia’s total oil output. Chevron’s Indonesian operations include oil, natural gas and geothermal power-generation.
History of Repression and Resistance
If the average price of the crude oil from 1952-2008 were $20 per barrel, it would mean that Chevron’s Riau production has yielded some $220 billion. The Riau Economic Observer has found that, “If oil and gas companies indeed brought a good impact on the economy for local inhabitants, it should have affected Riau inhabitants 30 years ago. However, statistical data show that Riau was categorized the second most disadvantaged province in Indonesia in the 1980s.”[336]
Instead of wealth generation, Chevron’s Riau production has been plagued by economic injustice, environmental destruction, and the dislocation and disenfranchisement of indigenous populations. As a result, citizen resistance to Chevron has been a constant of life in Riau, often taking the form of massive protests against the company, with protestors at times numbering in the tens of thousands.
Chevron has employed brutal measures to quiet protests, including utilizing Indonesia’s notorious security services, bringing charges of human rights abuse, violence and intimidation.[337] For example, on January 27, 2000, Chevron paid the special Indonesia security force BRIMOB to overcome a series of actions and protests over land disputes and employment.[338] The BRIMOB are well-known for extreme human rights violations, including kidnapping, rape, torture, indiscriminate violence and murder.[339] As a result of the brutality of BRIMOB, 15 people involved in the protests against Chevron were wounded and five were hospitalized.[340]
Sakai Tribe and Its River
 |
Ditch to the Batang Pudu river. The surrounding land
is contaminated, but Chevron covered it with sand so the land looks good. |
The Sakai people are one of several Indigenous peoples in the Riau province. Other Indigenous communities include the Bonai, Talang Mamak, Laut, Akit and Hutan. The community life of the Sakai includes living on products of the forest, keeping livestock, fishing and planting gardens.[342]
The Sakai tribe was the original owner of the land on which Chevron’s oil and gas was found.[343] The Sakai owned the Minas, Belutu, Tingaran, Sinangan, Semunai, Panaso and Borumban areas of land. “Almost all the land at CPI was indeed our ulayat (customary) land, where we went for hunting and farming... The land acquisition by Caltex came from some Sakai people who sold their land, or came from land grabbing with very low compensation or even no compensation at all. From hundreds of thousands of hectare acres, we now only have five thousand hectare acres left.”[344]
Water and Land Contamination
The inhabitants of Riau have been plagued by contamination of their land and water by Chevron’s oil, making traditional methods of subsistence impossible and causing dire health effects.
In 1993, the villagers of Sungai Limau together with WALHI-Riau charged Chevron with contaminating the Siak and Limau Rivers. In a letter to the government and Caltex, they wrote:
The Sungai Limau villagers reported problems almost identical to those cited by the Mempura villagers. Oil is often visible in and around the rivers, and the rivers’ fish population has declined so much that they can no longer fish in them. A number of villagers have contracted rashes, diarrhea and other sicknesses as a result of the oil pollution.[345]The abuse was so great that the citizens were willing to face the enormous risk of raising such complaints during the Suharto dictatorship, a time when protest, or resistance of any kind against the government or a corporation, brought substantial repression, even death. While Chevron ultimately agreed to give compensation to villagers, it was far below the villagers’ demands.[346]
 |
Chevron's hazardous and poisonous waste disposal.
The study shown revealed destruction of the ecosystem caused by ongoing contamination. |
In response, the Sakai people at Pematang Pudu, together with WALHI, called on the local government to fix the situation, cite Chevron for the environmental damage, and investigate the site. The subsequent investigation identified four illegal toxic waste disposals.[347] Based on the sample of waste tested by an expert from the Agriculture University in Bogor West Java (IPB), there was evidence of environmental pollution at Pematang Pudu, Mandau sub district. The concentration of chemical material in the ditch was above the acceptable levels, especially for the chlorine and sulfate.[348]
The agency of environmental impact analysis (Bapedal Riau) found Chevron guilty.[349] Furthermore, the environmental impact analysis report released by BPK RI (The Audit Board of The Republic Indonesia) also found and highlighted violations of the environmental quality standard stipulated by government.[350] However, no action has been taken by either the government or Chevron to right this situation.
What Chevron Says
Chevron has rejected the accusations from the Sakai community. It claims to be the most progressive company in terms of preserving the environment and public health. The Manager of Communications and Media Relations, Hanafi Kadir, says that Chevron handles its waste very carefully, contracting its waste management to another company (PT Karya Lestari Perkasa). Regarding the skin diseases suffered by the local community at Tonggak Delapan village, Hanafi Kadir also refuses the community’s allegation that the disease is caused by polluted air from Chevron.[351]
In 2009, the Indonesian government issued a new environmental protection and management regulation. Rather than comply with the regulation, Chevron fought back. Chevron Senior Vice President of Sumatra Operations Support, A. Hamid Batubara, expressed particular concern over the new regulation’s air and water pollution controls, saying that implementation would have a deleterious effect on Chevron’s production totals.”[352] In response to Chevron’s protests, the Minister of Energy and Mineral resources, Darwin Zahedy Saleh, seems prepared to weaken the law.[353] The government also proposed delaying the new law.[354]
The Struggle Continues
Chevron’s great influence over the Indonesian government continues to this day. Even including forcing it to “overlook” its own regulations, to the great detriment of local communities, and even local governments.
The Sakai tribe’s demand is simple. They want environmental restoration and compensation for their loss of income from the polluted river. They do not want money, they want land on which to earn their own living. But, to date, there has been no significant response by Chevron to the peoples’ demands.
WALHI, together with other networks and the local communities, will continue to end the environment, social and economic destruction in Riau, and in other provinces in Indonesia.
333 “Darmiadi Nekad Panjat Tower Listrik Chevron,” Tribun Pekanbaru, 14 Sept. 2009.
334 Ibid.
335 Chevron Corp., “Indonesia Fact Sheet,” Mar. 2010.
336 Umi Kalsum, “Chevron Produces 11 Billion Barrels of Oil,” RABU, February 18, 2009, VIVAnews.
337 Oil Watch. Chevron: the right hand of empire (2006) 80–81.
338 Ibid. at 81.
339 East Timor and Indonesian Action Network, “Background on Kopassus and Brimob,” 2008; Human Rights Watch, Indonesia: Out of Sight: Endemic Abuse and Impunity in Papua’s Central Highlands, Vol. 19, No. 10(C), July 2007.
340 Oil Watch (2006) at 80–81.
341 Derita Anak Sakai Interview with Bathin Musa, head of Sakai tribe.
342 Parsudi Suparlan, Orang Sakai di Riau: Masyarakat terasing dalam masyarakat Indonesia, (Yayasan Obor, 1995) 93.
343 Moszkowski, 1911.
344 Ahmad Arif and Agnes Rita Sulistywati, “Sayap Patah Para Sakai,” Kompas, 24 Apr. 2007.
345 Robert Weissman, “Caltex Corporate Colony: How an oil consortium pollutes Indonesia,” Multinational Monitor 1993, 15(11).
346 Ibid.
347 Riau Mandiri, “PT KLP Terbukti Cemari Lingkungan,” Posted on “Dari Atas” atau “Dari Bawah”: How an Oil Consortium Pollutes Indonesia Blog, 29 June 2007.
348 Ibid.
349 Radio Nederland Wereldomroep. “Chevron Dituduh Cemari Sungai di Riau,” 28 Feb. 2008.
350 BPK RI (The Audit Board of The Republic Indonesia). “The environmental impact analysis report”. August 2008.
351 “Chevron sangat komit dengan pencemaran lingkungan,” Riau Online, 3 June 2007.
352 Rudy Ariffianto, “UU lingkungan tekan produksi Chevron,” Bisnis Indonesia, 27 Feb. 2010.
353 Ibid.
354 “Government requests delay on new environment law,” Tempo Interaktif, 25 Feb. 2010.
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