Protesters have set fire to a mayor’s office on an Indonesian island to demand compensation over a mining company’s activity in their area, police said, adding that several arrests had been made.
The growing presence of mining companies on Indonesia’s main islands has caused riots and clashes in recent years over poor working conditions and land encroachment.
The unrest began Thursday in Pohuwato regency in Gorontalo province on mineral-rich Sulawesi island when a march involving some 2,500 protesters approached the local mayor’s office but no official was willing to meet with them, according to local media reports.
Community activists had organised a march to demand compensation over gold mining activity in their area by PT Puncak Emas Tani Sejahtera, a subsidiary of PT Merdeka Copper Gold, which oversees the Pani Gold Project mine.
“Regarding the demo, the police are still working hard to investigate the riot that happened during the…
Source: Guardian Newspaper
