In yet another decisive court ruling handed down by the South Jakarta District Court, the judges have vindicated my Dad and Newmont of any wrong doing. This verdict resonates perfectly with the ruling in the criminal case by the Manado High Court, thereby reaffirming once again that Buyat Bay is clean.

While the latest verdict brings one more chapter of the Buyat Bay hoax to an end, it should mark the beginning of serious soul-searching for WALHI. Most importantly, it raises questions about Chalid Mohammed and his leadership of WALHI.

By now it is commonly known that Newmont followed all the regulations and there are irrefutable scientific facts that show that Buyat Bay is clean. Prominent evidence that supported these conclusions included Government of Indonesia’s own reports and testimonies as well as the findings of researchers from the World Health Organization, CSIRO-Australia and other academicians from Indonesia’s universities.

Earlier this week the Australian chapter of Friends of the Earth posted a statement on their website in response to comments made by Australian Senator Ian Macdonald. The press release stated the following:

National environmental organisation, Friends of the Earth (FoE) Australia, has responded angrily to a statement made in the Senate by Ian Macdonald implying that its sister organisation, WALHI/ Friends of the Earth Indonesia is linked to terrorists.

"Today’s statement by Senator Macdonald is scandalously and recklessly incorrect" said Cam Walker, FoE Australia. [link]

Senator Ian Macdonald earlier in the day on the Senate floor stated the following:

Interestingly, WALHI appears to have now been joined by radical Islamic groups in its campaign against the US mining giant, Newmont. A photograph— which I could perhaps table if the Senate were interested—recently featured in the Indonesian press shows Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah, flanked by Muhammad Al Khaththah, the leader of the Indonesian chapter of Hizb ut-Tahrir, attacking Newmont’s environmental record. I also note an article from the Straits Times of 22 April 2006 which states:

The head of Walhi [Chalid Muhammad], the main environmental group, is also a member of Hizbut Tahrir, a hardline Muslim group which emerged over the past year, and which has been famously described as being a ‘conveyor belt for terrorists’. Although the group claims to be non-violent, the Walhi chairman took part in recent violent demonstrations outside the US embassy, wearing full Islamic robes. [link]

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In a surprising move, the Indonesian chapter of Friends of the Earth, WALHI, joined forces last week with Form Umat Islam, in an effort to attack Newmont's environmental performance as well as discredit and disband the Indonesian elite counter-terrorism force, Detachment 88. Detachment 88 has been highly successful in arresting key individuals involved in the Bali, Marriott and Australian Embassy bombings in Indonesia, as well as hundreds of members of Jemaah Islamiya (JI) a Southeast Asian based terrorist network with links to Al-Qaeda.



At a civil court hearing last week dealing with the latest civil case filed by WALHI against Newmont Minahasa Raya, members of WALHI and Umat Islam handed out a flyer [link] with the following message:

Newmont = Bad for the environment
Detachment 88 = Bad for the people
Bush = Bad for the world
Form Umat Islam - WALHI