Acheh Human Rights Online
URGENT APPEAL:Ref: UA29 / 04. 9 November 2004
NAME: The villagers of Me Aron, Glock, and Kanot, North Acheh VIOLATIONS: Alleged Exxon Mobil chemical spill pollutes
drinking water and rice fields.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please copy the letter below the Background information or write in your own words and send to:
Mr Ir. RAHMAT WITOELAR, Minister for Environment: adu@menlh.go.id ,
AND please send Cc: amedeo.buonajuti@unep.org ;
President Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil Corporation,Irving, Texas 75039-2298 Click on http://www.exxonmobil.com/SiteFlow/SuppInfo/Contacts/contact_area_overall.asp and fill out boxes as the sample below and paste the letter in the comments box.
Who would you like to contact : What area does your question / comment cover : Subject : Are you a? : other OPTIONAL:
PLEASE ALSO SEND APPEALS TO: Diplomatic Representatives of Indonesia in your country. Link to Indonesian Embassies
worldwide Please cut and paste and send this appeal to your mailing lists
BACKGROUND On Monday 2 November 2004, 32 heads of families accompanied by dozens of women and their children a from the
villages of Me Aron, Glock, and Kanot in the Syamtalira Aron sub-district, North Acheh, held a peaceful demonstration at
the Point A gate (production facilities used by Exxon-Mobil) of Exxon Mobil Lhoksukon, North Acheh,.
The demonstrators accused Exxon-Mobil of spilling chemical materials in early October. The chemical, they claimed, has
been flowing through the drains into their rice fields. Most villagers in the area are rice farmers. The pollution, they
complained, is causing skin infection, irritation, itchiness as well as coughing. "The bad odour has subsided now, but
during the first month, the smell was unbearable and chickens drinking the drain water died immediately. Now it is our
turn to suffer difficulty in breathing, itchiness and coughing," said Ainiah, a mother, who participated in the
demonstration.
Worse, the chemical waste has seeped into water wells that are near the drains, causing the water to be polluted and
undrinkable. "The water looks oily, after washing ourselves with this water we immediately got the itch," said another
woman, Nurhabsah.
At the demonstration, 5 representatives of the villagers were invited into the complex and were received by a Public
Relations officer of Exxon-Mobil.
The demonstrators said that the pollution has reached the stage of great concern. "We are not looking for money, we are
demanding to be freed from these diseases caused by the chemical." said Mrs. Ainiah.
Exxon-Mobil spokesman Deva Rahman acknowledged that there had been many complaints about the chemical spillage early
last month. But he denied that Exxon had spilled the chemical as alleged by the demonstrators. He suspected the chemical
was dumped by unknown people.
Exxon Mobil natural gas plant exports to Japan and South Korea. The plant is one of the largest resource projects in
Indonesia and generates more than $1 billion a year in government revenues that go directly to Jakarta. The Achehnese
have not benefited from the province's enormous natural wealth and that industrial development projects have been
introduced merely to provide employment opportunities to outsiders mainly Javanese. Exxon-Mobil was formerly implicated
in human rights abuses in collusion with the Indonesian military against civilians.
Dear Minister Witoelar,
I am writing to express deep concern regarding the allegation of spills of chemical waste by Exxon Mobil Lhoksukon,.that
have contaminated critical water resources and caused environmental harm and harm to health to the villagers of Me Aron,
Glock, and Kanot in the Syamtalira Aron sub-district, North Acheh. The chemical material has been flowing through the
drains into the rice fields and the polluted water is causing skin infection, irritation, itchiness as well as coughing.
Initially the bad odour was unbearable and chickens drinking the drain water died immediately. The chemical waste has
seeped into water wells that are near the drains, and the water which looks oily causes itching after drinking I call on
you to urgently
* conduct a thorough investigation in the Syamtalira Aron sub-district, North Acheh area to determine the full nature
and extent of the impact of pollution and damage to soil, food crops, underground water and its impact on public health.
* ensure safe drinking water the Syamtalira Aron sub-district, North Acheh area at the earliest. Extensive health
survey must be carried out urgently. In the meantime, the governmental agencies should open up sub centres and Primary
Health Centers in the villages of Syamtalira Aron sub-district, North Acheh, so that basic health facilities are made
available to the people.
* 4. The Ministry of the Environment should carry out a comprehensive investigation of Exxon Mobil. The investigation
should include all the chemicals, which are being used in the entire production cycle. If responsible for the discharge
of the toxic pollutants Exxon Mobil must be held accountable by the concerned governmental agencies and full
compensation must be provided to the affected population for widespread damage to crops, soil and people's health..
Yours sincerely
Copies sent to: Mr KLAUS TOEPFER, Executive Director, United Nations Environmental Program, amedeo.buonajuti@unep.org President Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil Corporation,Irving, Texas 75039-2298
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