Latest news with #Sulawesi
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Indonesia to sanction companies for environmental breaches at nickel industrial park
The Indonesian Government is set to impose sanctions on companies for environmental violations at the Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), a major hub for the country's nickel production, according to a report by Bloomberg. The Ministry of Environment has cited issues such as poor wastewater management, air pollution and the use of unlicensed tailing areas. These sanctions will include government directives and fines for those found to be in breach of environmental laws. The IMIP, which houses numerous nickel smelters, will face a comprehensive audit as part of the government's crackdown. Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement Rizal Irawan was quoted as saying: 'Sanctions on IMIP will be in the form of government directives and fines on companies proven to have violated laws." This move represents a rare but decisive step by the Indonesian Government to address the environmental impact of its rapidly expanding nickel industry. The nickel industry in Indonesia, which contributes more than half of global production, has been under scrutiny for its environmental footprint and safety concerns. The sector, predominantly owned by Chinese interests, has been rapidly growing this decade. Tsingshan Holding Group, a Chinese metals conglomerate, controls the IMIP, which has received investment of more than $30bn. Located on Sulawesi Island, the industrial park spans 2,000 hectares and employs more than 100,000 individuals. In April, the IMIP experienced a suspension of operations and increased scrutiny regarding its nickel extraction methods after a landslide. The incident sparked concerns regarding the safety of high-pressure acid leaching techniques employed in nickel extraction at the park. In a related development, the Indonesian Government recently revoked mining permits for four nickel ore companies in the Raja Ampat region. This decision followed extensive protests over environmental damage in the area, known for its exceptional marine biodiversity and status as a UNESCO Global Geopark. "Indonesia to sanction companies for environmental breaches at nickel industrial park" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
China sells coking coal to Indonesia in rare trade, sources say
BEIJING/SINGAPORE, June 16 (Reuters) - China sent a rare shipment of at least three cargoes of coking coal to processors in Indonesia's Sulawesi in May, sources familiar with the matter said, encroaching on a market typically dominated by supplies from Australia and Indonesia. The world's biggest importer of coking coal, China is not a major exporter of the steelmaking fuel, and has exported it to Indonesia only three times since the start of 2024, monthly Chinese customs data shows. State-run Shanxi Coking Coal Group ( opens new tab sold coking coal to China Risun Group ( opens new tab, which was later exported to Indonesia last month, three sources said. Risun runs one of the largest coke-processing plants in Indonesia's Sulawesi region. The state-run group sold another cargo to Hong Kong Jinteng Development Ltd for export to Indonesia, the source said, while the second source added that it also sold a third cargo to a Dexin Steel plant in Indonesia. The sources sought anonymity as they were not authorised to speak on the issue. Shanxi Coking Coal, China Risun and Dexin Steel did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment. Reuters was unable to reach Hong Kong Jinteng Development Ltd. Independent consultant Lawrence Yan said the moves were designed to test the economic feasibility of Chinese supply and show traditional sellers, such as Australia, that Indonesian plants had alternatives. Higher costs and strong competition from Russia and Mongolia made it unlikely the trade would become mainstream, however, he added. In the longer term, as China's slowing steel industry could free up supply of coking coal, turning it into a regular export product, an executive at Chinese trading house Winsway said last week. China exported 78,030 metric tons of coking coal to Indonesia in April, the first shipment since last July. Data for May is not available yet. Coke processing plants in Sulawesi have emerged as a supply hub for metallurgical coke - a raw material used by steelmakers, boosting demand for coking coal, which is used to make the coke. Indonesia's exports of met coke hit a record high in 2024, according to data from Kpler. However, the region is now struggling with overcapacity, one of the sources said, with utilisation at only 60% to 70%. Indonesia's met coke exports have also been hit by December's import curbs imposed by major buyer India.
Bloomberg
30-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Nickel Giant Tsingshan Cuts Indonesian Stainless Steel Output
The world's biggest maker of stainless steel has suspended some production lines in Indonesia, in a bid to support prices as sluggish demand and trade uncertainty weigh on the market. China's Tsingshan Holding Group Co., also the top producer of nickel that's used in the alloy, halted some stainless steel output earlier this month at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park on the island of Sulawesi, according to people familiar with the matter. The move is likely to support stainless prices, while pressuring the nickel market. Both hit five-year lows in April.
ABC News
27-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Indonesian government's push to write official history slammed as 'authoritarian'
Read in Bahasa Indonesia Scholars have criticised an ambitious project by the Indonesian government to write an official national history, arguing a draft version omits key events, including some that involve President Prabowo Subianto when he was a special forces commander. Culture Minister Fadli Zon, a longtime loyalist of Mr Prabowo, has described the books as an "updated version" of the national story intended to become "the official Indonesian history". He said the project was necessary to incorporate new discoveries such as cave paintings on the island of Sulawesi that are at least 51,000 years old. It would also address misconceptions about Indonesia's colonial history, Mr Zon said, clarifying that not all regions were under Dutch rule for 350 years, as is commonly believed. Indonesia's Ministry of Culture said the official history was urgently required to establish a strong national identity, "eliminate colonial bias", and address contemporary challenges. Mr Zon described it as "a gift" to the Indonesian people to celebrate the country's 80th Independence Day on August 17. A group of academics and human rights activists last week visited parliament to express their opposition to a working draft that had circulated among journalists and historians. Former Indonesian attorney-general and human rights lawyer Marzuki Darusman argued the idea of one "official history" was problematic and gave the government the final say on all historical matters. "Who gives the government the right to take control and declare the final word on our identity?" he asked. Allowing the government to dictate history through a single perspective could pave the way for authoritarian control, Mr Darusman warned. Under the New Order dictatorship of Suharto, who was Mr Prabowo's father-in-law, there was an official history book used as the sole source of history education in schools until his regime collapsed in 1998. Senior historian Asvi Warman Adam said a civil society alliance — consisting of academics, activists, and historians — had reviewed the 2025 draft and concluded that it represented "historical manipulation". "Historical manipulation occurs when history is written to selectively highlight what benefits a regime," Dr Adam said. The ABC independently reviewed the draft history and identified notable omissions compared to the 2018 edition of Indonesia's high school history textbook. The government's account leaves out major events in Indonesia's contemporary history, such as the 1997 financial crisis, anti-Suharto protests and deadly crackdowns against them by his regime, anti-Chinese riots, and the eventual fall of Suharto's regime. At that time, Mr Prabowo was a powerful general and has since been dogged by accusations of human rights abuses and war crimes. He was stood down by the Indonesian military later in 1998 for his alleged role in the forced disappearances of democracy activists during that year. Other important historical events such as the 1928 Women's Congress, a landmark event for Indonesia's feminist movement, and the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung that united many countries from the global south, were absent. Dr Adam said these omissions indicated an attempt to shape history to serve political interests rather than presenting an objective and comprehensive account of Indonesian history. Bonnie Triyana, a historian and member of parliament for the opposition Democratic Party of Struggle, agreed that major events including human rights violations were missing from the new official history. He said a project of this scale should undergo public scrutiny and an open process involving a wide range of historians and academics, rather than being a government-commissioned effort. Mr Triyana told the ABC that an apparent rush to meet the deadline by August 17 meant the process had lacked transparency. In a meeting with the Ministry of Culture, Mr Triyana urged it not to classify the revised history as "official history" — arguing that would turn history into something that could not be criticised or corrected. The Ministry of Culture's director of history and museums, Agus Mulyana, told a forum in Jakarta last week that those opposing the national history project were "radical". "Lately, we have been confronted with narratives responding to the rewriting of Indonesia's history. The reactions come from those who … are radical," he said. "A group that came to the parliament said this project would cleanse past sins. I think this perspective can be considered a perversion. A historical perversion — misguided." Mr Zon, the culture minister, told parliament that Professor Mulyana's comments did not represent the ministry's official view. But he denied allegations of historical manipulation by choosing to highlight certain historical events. He said the revision process had already involved 113 historians and archaeologists from across Indonesia and there would be time for public feedback before the book was launched. Yet, the ABC understands that internal disagreements within the research team resulted in the resignation of at least two professors. One of them left after being asked to write about president Joko Widodo and Indonesia's new capital city, despite his expertise being in colonial economic history. "I was asked to write about Joko Widodo's period, but I declined because it is not my area of expertise," he said. "I have never researched it, it's too contemporary and the data is still unclear."
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Video shows capsized ferry in Indonesia's West Kalimantan province, not Sulawesi
"A ferry capsized at the Parepare Port, I hope there are no fatalities," reads an Indonesian-language Facebook post on April 25, 2025. The post includes a video showing people witnessing a ship slowly capsizing. Some voices yelling "God is Great" in Arabic are heard in the background. The same video was shared elsewhere on Facebook after a boat carrying eight passengers capsized due to extreme weather in the waters of Selayar Islands Regency, South Sulawesi. Indonesian media organisation Detik reported there were no fatalities during the accident (archived link). However, there are no official reports of a ferry capsizing at Parepare Port as of May 22. A combination of Google reverse image and keyword searches found the same clip used in a news report by Indonesian broadcaster iNews on February 21, 2021 about a ferry sinking in West Kalimantan's Perigi Piai Port (archived link). The circulating video can be seen at the 14-second mark of the video report, which says the the ship lost balance as passengers disembarked from one side and the docking rope broke. The video matches Google Maps imagery of Perigi Piai port, 1,300 kilometres (807 miles) away from Parepare port in Sulawesi (archived link). A video of the accident has also been geotagged at Perigi Piai port (archived link). Indonesian newspaper Kompas published a similar photo of the accident on February 20, 2021 (archived link).
