Violence at Indonesia nickel smelter protest kills 2, dozens detained

Sun, January 15, 2023 at 8:56 PM MST·2 min read

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Two workers were killed in clashes and rioting at an Indonesian nickel smelting facility at the weekend, officials said on Monday, after violence erupted during a protest by a labour group demanding better pay and safety.

An Indonesian and a Chinese worker were killed during the unrest at the PT Gunbuster Nickel Industry (GNI) smelter, owned by China's Jiangsu Delong Nickel Industry, which involved protesters, workers and security personnel, said Didik Supranoto, a spokesperson for Central Sulawesi police.

Several company vehicles were torched and about 100 dormitory rooms were damaged, Didik said, adding that 71 people were detained and operations at the smelter had been suspended.

GNI launched the smelter in late 2021 with an annual capacity of 1.8 million tonnes and estimated total investment of $2.7 billion.

Protester Minggu Bulu, a member of the labour group and former GNI employee, said there were fatal safety lapses at the facility in the past year, including a motorcycle crashing into heavy machinery and an explosion at the smelter.

GNI could not immediately be reached for comment on the allegation and police were unable to confirm whether deadly accidents had taken place.

"Work health and safety implementation is very poor, so we asked the company to implement it according to the law," Minggu said, adding that workers also lacked proper safety gear.

GNI in a statement said it was investigating the incident.

"The company, together with law enforcement officials, has immediately launched an in-depth and thorough investigation into the incidents that have caused harm to all parties, both material and immaterial losses, and even fatalities," it said.

Violent protests have broken out sporadically in the mineral-rich region of Sulawesi, which has seen a recent investment boom in nickel that is used in electric vehicle batteries.

Indonesia's Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita in a statement offered condolences over the deaths and urged dialogue between workers and management and for regulations to be fully adhered to, including on workers' rights and safety standards.

(Reporting by Ananda Teresia, Fransiska Nangoy, Bernadette Christina Munthe; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor, Martin Petty