drbruce
I thought that I might add something here as the Sumbawa section doesn't get much traffic which, by the way, is similar to the tourist industry here (at least here in the southwest).Another gorgeous weekend just passed by. Clear skies for most of the weekend. The water was incredible. Crystal blue with a strong current and decent waves. I took all the kids (Mercedes 12, Rebecca 10, Sam 8, and Meredith 5) out for a swim Sunday along with Su, my wife (no age given), down to the beach about 30 seconds by car from here. We actually used to walk down the beach to get to the spot where we liked to swim, but I can get the kids to stay longer if we bring cold drinks, chips, rice, fruit, water, and the dog (to play with, not to eat).In the 9 months that we've been living on this island, the kids have gone from being afraid of the water here (now waves or currents at their beach in Singaraja) to being comfortable enjoying the wildness of the ocean. The oldest two swim out as far as I do now and ride the waves back in to shore. Meredith gets bolder and bolder about getting in the surf, but we keep her on a short leash until she learns to swim better. Sam takes the middle ground, and now that his arm has healed he was taking some pounding this weekend.We've gotten our Shepard to swim now, and he is as enthusiastic as any one of the kids. Su has even gotten to where she enjoys swimming now that we've finally (after thirteen years) gotten past the dark skin thing about being in the sun.Building goes on here regularly with most of it being houses, but several new businesses are being built. Just what kinds of businesses remains a mystery.After 15 years in Indonesia, I've learned not to call places paradise, but it sure is pleasant here if you can live without McD, Makro, and traffic.
Jen
Dr BruceCan you tell me more about the Newport Mine (or whatever the name is).I gather you teach there? Is it far from your home? Do expats live on site? Is there ever any security problems or resentment from locals? What do they mine there? Maybe they have a website or something? Just curious, thanking you.
Jen
Just re read your site about the mine, but still curious about whatthe locals think of expats living in the 'mine village'. Enjoyed readingabout your move into your new house. Looking forward to seeing pictures
drbruce
Hi Jen,Do you know the magazine Latitudes? The new issue has an article about the mine by a college student from the village where I live. The article is written from a fairly critical perspective. The people in the village where I live are generally positive as long as the mine provides economic benefits for the local population. Newmont does contribute a sizeable amount of money to the local economy and it assists in building new schools, health clinics, etc. Of course, there are downsides as well. Envy is something that you get anywhere and Indonesia is no exception. I'll get some photos up as soon as possible.Salam,Bruce
Roy
Dr. Bruce, I haven't seen the Latitudes article, but I always enjoy the magazine when I can grab my hands on an issue. I have read recently in other periodicals some criticism and concern of the mercury levels being introduced into the environment by Newport Mines...but then again, and in the same breath, I have heard that those levels of mercury and other pollutants are even below US accepted standards for mining operations in the US. But, I remember well the Three Mile Island disaster, and others that occurred in the US, in spite of all governmental assurances that "all was fine." And, I can't get out of my gut the Union Carbide fiasco in Bhopal, among others. My point, or rather question, which I guess is really the same, is this: Clearly you are a loving father, and a man of great intellect. Are you confident and assured that Newport Mines is doing all it can to protect the environment now, as well as for the long term? Having read many, likely all, of your previous posts, I get the sense that your answer to this question will be a hearty "YES." That would be reassuring to me, coming from you. In Bali, as you know, there are no large scale mining or natural resource projects simply because, we don't have any natural resources beyond our culture. It's heartening to me personally to read your posts relating to Newport's commitment, which as you point out over and over, is already demonstrated to bring positive change to the population of Sumbawa, your home. I would find it hard to believe that you would post in such a positive manner if you were not personally aligned and committed to your employer, in the belief, and as you've experienced, that good things are resulting on Sumbawa.
Jen
Thanks Dr BruceNo havent heard of Lattitudes. Is it an online publication? Reckon it would be an interesting read.Happy New Year!
drbruce
Roy and Jen,Latitudes is online, but most of the articles are for subscribers only. I pick my issues up here in townsite (the mining community), since mail here is somewhat problematic. You can check out their website for information. One major criticism in the article about Newmont had to do with the local population not having enough education to qualify for jobs in the mine now that they need a specialized workforce that requires some degree of technical knowledge. Developing an educated workforce takes time. Newmont is a strong supporter of local education (all my children attend the local public schools, not the international school where I teach), both in terms of providing money for construction of buildings, etc., as well as sharing knowledge between the Indonesian school on the mining site and the local schools. From my conversations with the principal of the elementary school and some of the teachers, they are pleased with the support of the company, and we try to get the international school as involved with the local community as possible. As you've said many times before, Roy, we should give back something to the country that we've chosen for our home. We try to instill that attitude in our students here, and my wife and I try to give as much to the local community as we can in terms of employing local residents, supporting the schools and teachers, being involved with the mesjid, buying local goods rather than imported ones when possible and realistic, and just generally by being good neighbors. I feel that Newmont strongly supports this approach, and the expat population of Newmont and the company have been very supportive of my move into the community rather than staying in townsite.A number of other issues were discussed including pollutants in the harbor in Benete, land ownership issues, prostitution and community development. As to the first, there was no data given regarding pollution of the bay other than a reference to Teluk Buyat. As you note, Roy, this is still a controversial issue. The company does monitor tailings from the mine and their own tests and tests by independent labs have certified that Newmont's performance exceeds that required by the United States which has significantly stricter regulations on mining than does Indonesia. The company stands by their tests, and having been around Indonesia long enough to know that almost nothing here escapes politics, I believe that the company is conscientiously monitoring their environmental impact. I wouldn't be living here with my children and swimming in the ocean here if I thought that there was a chance that the kids were being poisoned. All this being said, my "expertise" is in education and cultural anthropology, not biology, chemistry and the other "hard" sciences, so I trust in what people that I trust report to me after reading all that I can on the issue. And, just as I was writing this, the health workers showed up here to spray the house for mosquitoes. Malaria is still a problem here, and I've been pleased with Newmont's proactive approach to malaria control here which one of the Aussie doctors here told me was excellent. Now could I be mistaken? Sure, nothing is 100% certain; I'm going with my instincts and what hard data I've been able to read.As to the other issues, they are part and parcel of development projects. Land issues have been a problem here since the mine arrived and people discovered that they sold their land too cheaply to. But land issues have been a problem in Bali, as well, as long as I've been here partly due to escalating prices of land due to foreign dollars flooding the market with folks building and buying those irritating "villas" (sorry Bert, just my personal thing with rice paddies giving way to retirement homes for bules) that seem to continually mushroom around the island. I just finished meeting a few minutes ago with a local businessman who bought up close to 100 hectares of land in the early stages of the mine and is still holding quite a large amount which he would willingly sell off. He was a clever guy who figured out which way the wind was blowing at the right time. Time for a Bali story - years ago (over 10 for sure), I used to stop off occasionally in Tulamben to do a little snorkeling and get away from my in-laws for a few days. A fellow who I got to know offered me a large tract of beach land in the area for a very reasonable price. I replied with something like, "who the hell would want to stay over here." Well, there's a hotel on that land now which seems to do quite well. The moral of the story - it's hard to read the future and most of us are just mortals who try to get by on what wits we have. If we screw up, we should take responsibility for it. We sold off some land in Bali a few years ago that probably goes for twice what we sold it for then. We needed the money at the time and as Bert would say, that's it.Well, this has gotten a little more detailed than I planned. I should note that the article mentioned Newmont's Community Development Programme and noted that it has made some impact on the community. I've personally be involved with the beach cleanup days where Newmont sponsors local schools and community residents who spend a day picking up litter on the beaches. The company fed over 2,000 people that day (my wife won the contract to make box lunches for everyone) and employed a large group of local women to help her with the cooking. The company also is involved in working to save the sea turtle, stop bomb fishing, the selling of indigenous species of animals, and a number of other environmentally important programs.Now, I'm just a sub-contractor (that is I contract out with a yayasan that contracts out with Newmont) so I'm not really a Newmont employee, but I have been impressed with what I seen in the 18 months that I've been here. Certainly their program is much more aware of environmental and community issues than other companies that I have come across in Asia. I tend to look at things these days (that is as I get older) more in the long term (making sure that my kids have something decent to build on), and if I didn't believe that Newmont was working in the right direction, I wouldn't be buying land here and building a house and preparing for the possibility of my children having a future here (of course, kids being kids, they may end up running away with some Aussie surfer and moving to Perth). And my experience thus far with the local population is that no one has ever reacted negatively to me or my family because I work with the company. That to me is one of the most heartening things of my experiences in Sumbawa.
Jen
Thanks Dr BruceInteresting read. Did you feel any earthquakes or experience rough seas 26 Dec?
