The Kelian mine was one of the largest

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

mines in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and in the world. until its closure in 2004. The mine was located in the east of the country in

East Kalimantan East Kalimantan (Indonesian: ) is a province of Indonesia. Its territory comprises the eastern portion of Borneo. It had a population of about 3.03 million at the 2010 census (within the current boundary), 3.42 million at the 2015 census, and 3. ...

and was operated by the

Rio Tinto Rio Tinto, meaning "red river", may refer to: Businesses * Rio Tinto (corporation), an Anglo-Australian multinational mining and resources corporation ** Rio Tinto Alcan, based in Canada ** Rio Tinto Borax in America *** Rio Tinto Borax Mine, a ...

corporation in conjunction with Buana Jaya Raya Indonesia to form PT Kelian Equatorial Mining (KEM). The mine has estimated reserves of 7.8 million oz of

Controversy during operation

When KEM first established the mine, the local communities surrounding the mines were forbidden from mining for gold or growing crops near the mine, with many people also being evicted from their homes as well. This upended the livelihoods of the locals and led to community action. This community action was also largely suppressed by KEM through harsh security tactics, often with local police complicity. Along with these arrests and evictions there were a number of cases of KEM employees sexually assaulting local women and girls.

Controversy after closure

The group LKMTL, which has historically organized and represented the local people against KEM, has cited a number of environmental concerns on the 6,670

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

site as well as improper compensation for the decades of human rights abuses wrought on the locals by Rio Tinto and KEM. Rio Tinto has paid $5.4 million (US) to those who made claims against the company.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelian Mine Gold mines in Indonesia