Lapindo Should Pay Mudflow Victims Before Eid Al-Adha
Friday, 28 November, 2008 | 20:37 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on Friday Bakrie & Brothers must delivered the compensation for Lapindo mudflo victims before the Eid Al-Adha (a moslem religious holiday to commemorate the obediece of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son) Holiday which due to fall on Monday December 8th.

In a statement made a day after similar demand by President Yudhoyono Kalla said Lapindo should complete payment of the initial 20 percent of the total compensation by Monday, a sum they should have finished delivered in May this year. The company pay an average of Rp 2 billion per day which would take payment of the initial 20 percent to be completed after the Holiday, but the company said the worsening global financial crisis have undermine the company's ability to compensate the victims.

The business group controlled by the family of Aburizal Bakrie, the richest man in the country in 2007 according to Forbes is in tough negotiation with the government over who should pay the victims.

Lapindo Brantas the energy company under the group have inflicted the mudflow in Sidoarjo in 2006 as the company drilled for oil and gas. The mudflow have forced thousands of people to evacuate and destroyed public property worth billions of rupiah.

KURNIASIH BUDI