Lapindo Victims Seek Assylum to The Netherlands Government
Wednesday, 03 December, 2008 | 15:05 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Around 70 victims of Lapindo mudlow visited the embassy of the government of the Netherlands on Wednesday to seek assylum from the country.

Representatives of the victims were acepted by the Political Attache of the Netherlands government Yankers at 10:30 AM at the embassy.

A spokesman for the victims Paring Utomo said the move was taken as the government could not handle the crisis in East Java caused by the mudflow since 2006. the government could only provide promises to the victims without being able to put enough pressure on the parent company of Lapindo Brantas, Bakrie & Brothers, to compansate residents in the affected areas.

“We hope the government of the Netherlands would accomodate some of displaced” Paring said.

Over 10,000 of Sidoarjo residents have lost their homes as the mudflow drowned over 6,5 hectares of land in the regency. Lapindo have sought to avoid compensation pay by forcing the government to pay victims using state budget, saying the gas and oil exploitation in Sidoarjo were not to blame for the mudflow.

ELIK S