Probe demanded in wake of deputy regent’s death

Environmentalists are urging authorities to thoroughly investigate the death of Helmud Hontong, the deputy regent of North Sulawesi’s Sangihe Islands regency, who was known as a staunch opponent of a local gold mine.

Helmand, 58, died on Wednesday onboard Lion Air flight JT740 heading from Denpasar, Bali, to Makassar, South Sulawesi, as he was returning home after attending a workshop.

The airplane took off from Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar at 3:08 p.m. local time on June 9 after a delay of around 45 minutes and landed exactly an hour later at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar.

“At around 3:40 p.m., the passenger [identified as HH] required medical assistance,” Lion Air spokesperson Danang Mandala Prihantoro said in a statement on Thursday.

Cabin crew and a passenger who was a health worker gave Helmud first aid and oxygen support during the flight. A medical team from the port health authority (KKP) at Sultan Hasanuddin airport immediately evacuated Helmud from the aircraft when it arrived at the gate at 4:17 p.m.

Local media reported that Helmud was declared dead at 4:22 p.m. local time but the airport medical team had been unable to determine the cause of death.

“People of his age could have comorbidities, such as heart [problems] and diabetes. An autopsy is necessary to determine the cause of death,” Muhammad Has- kar Hasan, who heads the Sultan Hasanuddin airport KKP, said on Friday as quoted by kompas.com.

However, Helmud’s family refused an autopsy despite the local police’s offer, said Maros Police chief Sr. Adj. Comr. Musa Hengky Pandapotan Tampubolon, according to tempo.co.

The family instead brought the deputy regent’s remains to the Sangihe Islands on Friday morning and held a memorial service at his official residence. Helmud’s body is to be interred on Monday afternoon local time at a cemetery near his private residence in Tahuna district.

“The police and Komnas HAM [National Commission on Human Rights] must look into this case. They should start by, among other things, persuading the deceased’s family to allow the investigation,” Merah Johansyah of the Network for Mining Advocacy (Jatam) said on Saturday.

He added that a formal investigation was vital to either confirming or dismissing any speculation surrounding the death of Helmud, whose opposition to the TMS gold mine was publicly known.

The Sangihe Islands deputy regent was known for his strong opposition to a mining license for production operation for a 42,000-hectare gold mine concession that the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry granted to PT Tambang Mas Sangihe (TMS) in January, of which 65 ha was allocated for mining operations. The government issued a 30-year exploration contract to the company in 1987.

In response to the deal, Helmand sent an official letter to the ministry as Sangihe Islands deputy regent, asking that it revoke TMS’ mining contract.

In the letter dated April 28, Helmand argued that the mining activities would pose a risk to 737 square kilometers of Sangihe Islands’ natural environment. Moreover, the deal would strip local residents of their land, change the cultural structure of local villages structures and lead to other social issues.

The letter has gone viral since Helmud’s death.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s mining director general, Ridwan Djamaluddin, confirmed that the ministry had received Helmud’s letter.

“The directorate general will schedule a meeting with the Sangihe Islands regency administration to discuss TMS’ mining activities,” he said on Saturday as quoted by tempo.co.

Acknowledging Helmud and Sangihe Islands residents’ opposition to the gold mine, Ridwan added that the government would reevaluate TMS’ mining contract.

He also suggested that the ministry could ask the miner to reduce its area of operations to prevent environmental damage that could harm residents and the local environment.

Helmud was not the only person to have opposed the TMS mine concession but was one of the regency’s most senior officials to do so.

Save Sangihe Islands, a coalition of local civil organizations, started a petition in April to reject the planned gold mining operation. In its petition, the coalition said mining activities on the island would threaten local livelihoods by “removing” residents from farmland, and that mining waste would pollute the island’s waters and marine ecosystem.

Around 78,000 people had signed the Change.org petition as of Sunday morning.

The police and Komnas HAM [National Commission on Human Rights] must look into this case. They should start by, among other things, persuading the deceased’s family to allow the investigation.