Lapindo Reported for Committing Human Rights Crimes
Thursday, 23 November, 2006 | 15:10 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Solo: The Legal Commission at the House of Representatives (DPR) will call Indonesian Police in response to a report from the National Commission for Human Rights saying that PT Lapindo Brantas Inc has committed human rights crimes as regards its gas exploration activities in Porong, Sidoarjo, East Java.

Last night, there was explosion at the gas exploration location that resulted in the deaths of eight people.

In a report that was delivered to DPR Legal Commission, that Human Rights National Commission cited there had been a violation of Article 1 Law Number 39/1999 on Human Rights.

“As a result of the exploration, some people were forced to leave their residences and that these inhabitants did not receive any valid legal process. The police must soon follow up the report of Human Rights National Commission,” said Eva Kusuma Sundari, a member of the DPR Law Commission.

According to her, Lapindo has committed a corporate crime through exploration that did not obey several regulations especially laws on the environment.
PT Lapindo, that should be responsible of the exploration impact, had to the contrary faced it by issuing minimum funding policy.

“The sum of Rp5 million compensation to inhabitants whose houses have sunk is not a solution that the law legalizes. PT Lapindo has tried to fool people that it was as though the incident in Sidoarjo was a natural disaster. In fact, it was not. It was Lapindo's impudence instead,” she said.

Imron Rosyid