The Indonesian government will soon file a lawsuit against the U.S.-based Newmont mining company for allegedly polluting the waters off an Indonesian island, contaminating the food chain and making villagers sick, a cabinet minister said Wednesday. Environment Minister Rachmat Witular said the lawsuit against Newmont could be filed within the next three weeks, accusing the company of breaching environment laws. He said he expected the trial to start in mid-January. "I got a message from the president that this (lawsuit) is needed in order to uphold the laws and safeguard the environment. Our laws cannot be violated by anyone, including investors," Witular told reporters after meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Five senior employees at Newmont's local subsidiary, PT Newmont Minahasa Raya (NMR), were among the defendants in the lawsuit, he added. A government-commissioned probe concluded last month that sediment in the waters of Buyat Bay, off Indonesia's Sulawesi island, near the gold mining operation, had significant levels of arsenic and mercury. However, Newmont, the world's top gold producer, denies its mine contributed to pollution in Buyat Bay, which lies 2,200 kilometers northeast of Jakarta. The firm claimed it had complied with all of Indonesia's environmental standards. --more 1237 Local Time 0937 GMT
