JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Alarmed by the potentially catastrophic environmental impact, residents of Sangihe Island in North Sulawesi expressed their opposition to a gold mining project through a documentary film.
“Sangihe Not For Sale”, a work by Audro Chrustofel and his colleagues from Sangihe Documentary Film, was launched on 17 August — Indonesia’s independence day — at the North Sulawesi chapter of the Indonesia Cyber Society Association.
The launch was supposed to be held offline on 15 August, but was postponed due to the implementation of COVID-19 activity restrictions.
“Sangihe Not For Sale” depicts the latest situation on the island.
It also traces the chronology of the gold mine project through interviews with related sources, including a mining company representative, the island’s regent, and local activists.
Mr Audro said that the film was only shot on a mobile phone. He added that it is Sangihe Documentary Films’ third work after “Pengasuh 65“(Nanny of 65) and “Refleksi Terakhir” (The Last Reflection).
“I just want you all to wake up. Don’t sleep too long, as our area will be damaged by gold mining,” he said in a discussion prior to the film launch.
Activists praised the film and hoped that more media organisations are exposing what’s going on in Sangihe–one of the country’s outermost islands.
“Our office is not only a gathering place for journalists and media to join training and discussions … We provide room for the oppressed to voice their aspirations,” said Head of AMSI’s North Sulawesi Chapter, August Heri.
Sangihe is rich in marine life. It is also known for its agricultural commodities such as coconuts and bananas, and spices such as cloves.
The island is prone to natural disasters as it has two undersea volcanoes: Mount Kawio in the island’s northern waters and Banua Wuku Mangahetang in the southern waters.
Behind Sangihe’s gold mine
PT Tambang Mas Sangihe, the company operating in the island’s mining location, is a subsidiary of Baru Gold Corp, a Canadian firm formerly known as East Asia Minerals.
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources claimed that the North Sulawesi administration issued an environmental permit for the company on 15 September 2020, covering 42,000 hectares of land and affecting 80 villages and seven sub-districts.
“Now, the company will start the production stages, which requires other relevant permits. That’s why such activity has triggered protests,” mining law expert Bisman Bakhtiar told TOC on 30 June, adding that the company signed a working contract in 1997 for the exploration activity.
Activists and environmentalists said there was a permit the company has yet to obtain, namely the permit from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, referring to Law No.1/2014 on the Management of Coastal Areas and Isles.
According to the law, a small island is an island whose area is smaller than or equal to 2,000 square kilometres. Sangihe is nearly 740 square kilometres.
The use of small islands in Indonesia is prioritised for conservation, sea farming, tourism, and education.
Mining activities in small islands are generally banned except when the islands are uninhabited.
“There is an abuse of power here. Our Sangihe friends visited Jakarta last April and came to the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries. They asked, “Have you issued a permit to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources?” And the answer was “No.” So how come the Energy Ministry is sure about issuing a permit for the mining?” Environmental rights activist Haris Azhar said in the documentary.
PT TMS is now preparing for preliminary construction work, while the Save Sangihe Island Alliance is waiting for a legal process following a lawsuit filed against the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources at the end of June.
