1. Thursday, July 16, 2020, the coalition of Kodingareng Lompo Island community with various civil society organisations are witnessing series of intentional violations to the mutual agreement between the Sangkarrang Island fishermen with PT. Royal Boskalis and PT. Benteng Laut Indonesia regarding the stop of sea sand mining activities and the restoration of the fishermen’s rights to the Sangkarrang islands signed on July, 2020.

2. The mentioned acts of violation occurred since Wednesday, July 15 and still happening today. Local fisher community witnessed clearly and recorded sea sand mining by PT. Royal Boskalis and PT. Benteng Laut (the record is attached).

3. PT Royal Boskalis and PT Benteng Laut Indonesia are violating at least 4 points of the mutual agreement (District and sub-district officials were also witnessing the signed agreement) those 4 points violated are;
   1. • The stop of all sea sand mining activities by PT Royal Boskalis Sea Sand Mine in Makassar – Takalar waters and fishing areas.
      • The Removing of PT Benteng laut Indonesia’s mining permit area (WIUP) from the traditional fishing area (5 Miles out of Coppong Ca’di, Coppong Lompo and Bonema’lonjo, which is the local designation for the fishing area of ​​the fishermen),
      • Responsibility for recovery of the damage that has been created by the parties related to mining,
      • The disclosure of social and environmental protection related documents and information of the company.

4. All sand mining operations related to this project have placed the fishing communities of Makasar, Takalar and the small island of Kodingareng Lompo into an emergency, unnecessary additions to the threats from Covid-19 pandemic. While the community is working hard to survive, the government and mining companies continue to destroy living space and production space of the people. The fabricated government’s campaign on food security, including seafood and the need on maintaining health and safety must end with an immediate stop to violations of the people’s rights for survival.

5. The struggle of the fishing communities of Makassar, Takalar and Pulau Kodingareng Lompo is part of the current widespread resistance happening today, July 16 2020, we are with our brothers and sisters, students, women, journalists, farmers, and all victims of prolong agrarian conflict who are standing still, refusing to bow down to the political hypocrisy of the oligarchy. Peoples of South Sulawesi are united to face the same opponents: for us it is a destructive investment that is threatening fisher people’s space. This is a declaration of opposition to the Omnibus Law and a call of solidarity for all planet earth residences.

 With this, we are demanding the following:

1. The National Human Rights Commission: to immediately take action by arguing related parties to stop the current mining vessel operations of PT Royal Boskalis, PT Benteng Laut Indonesia and PT Alefu Karya Makmur, including a support to the call directed to the Dutch Embassy in Indonesia as a party who must take responsibility for this situation, holding an investigation on violations against human rights and fishermen in this case. KOMNASHAM must ensure the police and other security apparatus to back down from escorting violators with the use excessive power and other militaristic methods against fishing communities who exercise their constitutional right and expressing their opinions and protests.

2. Lambert Grijns, the Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia to take immediate action on this urgent situation, to contact the mining company PT Royal Boskalis which is a company from the Netherlands, ordering them to stop the practices of human rights abuses in the islands of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

3. The National Commission on Violence against Women: to immediately taking necessary actions to stop the mining company PT Royal Boskalis, PT Benteng Laut Indonesia and PT Alefu Karya Makmur from violating people’s right, including the call for the Dutch Embassy in Indonesia as the party who must also be responsible for this incident, and conducting investigation on the of the rights of women and children in this case.

4. The President of Republic Indonesia, Joko Widodo and The Governor of South Sulawesi, to take concrete actions to stop this mining operation and to be responsible for all violations that occurred especially as this operation clearly threatened the lives of citizens and were allowed to continue during the period of a health emergency, in the days of the Covid-19 Pandemic! 

5. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry to immediately act accordingly with the constitution, Environmental Protection Law and so on, to protect the environment and people rights. This means concrete efforts to stop mining operations at the location, put sanction for the companies and other relevant parties in accordance with the mandate of the Environmental Protection and Management Law No. 32 of 2009, conduct investigations of pollution and environmental criminal violations. 

6. The Head of South Sulawesi Regional Police to immediately stop mining operation, , withdraw its officers and not protect and supervise the operation of mining company vessels that have violated the July 8, 2020 agreement, as the regional police office are witnesses of the agreement.

 Additional background information:

The three corporates of this case are: PT Royal Boskalis, PT Benteng Laut Indonesia and PT Alefu Karya Makmur, who are sea sand mining companies and suppliers of the Makassar Newport Reclamation Project, covering 1,428 hectares, all of which are responsible for the threat of accretion (line beach changes, exposure to the open sea due to the sedimentation process). The abrasion and erosion of the Makassar coastal area and Takalar are disruptions to other coastal and marine ecosystems.

Violations of Human Rights, material losses due to damage to fishing gear, increasingly isolate the community in the cages of impoverishment. Material and non-material loses are becoming multiple burdens for women in five (5) fishing communities at the coast of Makassar; from Cambayya, Kalukubodoa, Gusung, Tallo and Buloa, (over 496 fishing families. Furthermore, small island fishing communities at kodingareng, lompo islands are attacked by mining operations of the Queen of the Netherlands, operate from only 200 meters of the island. This is with direct impact on current disruption: damaging the coral reefs and fish breading area, adding threat of abrasion – killing the islands and the inhabitants.

The accident was on June 28 2020, when more than 500 Sangkarrang islands fishermen blockage mining activities in the middle of the sea, until a joint agreement was carried out, but on Wednesday 15 July and Thursday 16 July 2020, the mining parties violated the agreement again, we urge all parties above to act before it’s too late!

Our struggle for living space is a struggle for dignity and self esteem

WALHI National Executive – Nur Hidayati (+62 813-1610-1154)

Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM) – Merah Johansyah (+62 813 4788 2228)

Regional Executive of WALHI South Sulawesi – Muhammad Amien (+62822-9393-9591)

KIARA – Susan Herawati (+62 821-1172-7050)

KRuHA – Muhammad Reza (+62 813-7060-1441)

AMUK BAHARI