Newmont Mining Corp. is suing three environmental activists in Indonesia, claiming they falsely accused the company’s gold mining operations there of causing disease and death.
Newmont sued two of the activists in Indonesian court in November and another on Tuesday, company spokesman Doug Hock said.
The company first filed official warnings that demanded public apologies from the three, Hock said, and sued them after they did not reply.
“The suits were filed based on egregious public statements accusing us of killing people and causing Minamata disease,” Hock said, referring to a sickness related to mercury poisoning.
One of those sued, Rignolda Djamaludin, a biologist and leader of an Indonesian environmental group, said Newmont seeks $1.5 million in damages.
Rignolda told an Indonesian newspaper reporter in July that 100 people from a fishing village on Buyat Bay near Newmont’s Minahasa mine on the island of Sulawesi had signs of Minamata disease. He also said a 5- month-old baby from the village died from heavy-metal poisoning.
That and similar allegations against Newmont set off a firestorm of criticism of the Denver company throughout Indonesia and in the U.S.
In September, a World Health Organization study of the bay found normal levels of mercury and no evidence of Minamata disease among local residents. Later, a study by the Indonesian government confirmed that result but found high levels of mercury and arsenic in sediment on the bay’s floor.
Newmont dumped about 5 million tons of waste from the mine into the bay between 1996 and August, when the mine closed. The company says it had the proper permits from the Indonesian government, and that the waste did not pollute the bay’s waters.
On Wednesday, Newmont acknowledged it discharged 33 tons of mercury into the air and water from Minahasa in a four- year period, but said that did not have any health impact.
Indonesia plans to charge Newmont and several executives with criminal offenses related to the alleged pollution next month.
Also on Wednesday, Rignolda acknowledged that the WHO and government studies ruled out Minamata disease as the illness affecting the villagers. But he said he still believes Newmont contaminated the bay.
Another activist being sued is Yani Sagaroa, who has blamed Newmont for causing disease among residents near the company’s Batu Hijau mine on Sumbawa island.
The identity of the third person is unclear. Rignolda said it is Dr. Jane Pangemanan, a physician near Buyat Bay who blamed Newmont for causing Minamata disease and helped villagers file a $543 million lawsuit against the company.
Hock said any money gained through Newmont’s lawsuits would be donated to communities near Buyat Bay.
Staff writer Greg Griffin can be reached at 303-820-1241 or ggriffin@denverpost.com.
