Witnesses Testify in Mining Pollution Trial

[Judi Lynn]

Witnesses Testify in Mining Pollution Trial
First Prosecution Witnesses Testify in Pollution Trial of U.S. Mining Firm



Richard Ness President Director of PT Newmont Minahasa Raya, local subsidiary of Denver, Colorado-based Newmont Mining Corp, prepares for Friday prayer at a mosque in Manado, Indonesia, Friday, Oct 7, 2005. A fisherman testified Friday that U.S.-based Newmont Mining Corp. dumped pollutants into an Indonesian bay that caused lumps on his neck and dizziness, but the defense argued that the witness was faking the illness. (AP Photo/Manado News. com)

By MIEDY PAKASI Associated Press Writer

MANADO, Indonesia (AP) - A fisherman testified Friday that U.S.-based Newmont Mining Corp. dumped pollutants into an Indonesian bay that caused lumps on his neck and dizziness, but the defence argued that the witness was faking the illness.

Two other witnesses told the court that locals began suffering "strange diseases" after the arrival of Newmont, but that no formal link to the water pollution had been established.

The trial that opened nearly two months ago is being closely watched by business leaders, who say a guilty verdict could set back Indonesia's improving foreign investment climate, and environmentalists eager to see if the government will crack down on a multinational company.

The Denver-based company's Indonesian subsidiary and its American director Richard Ness have been charged with dumping mercury and arsenic-laced pollutants into the Buyat Bay on Sulawesi island, allegedly causing villagers to develop skin diseases and other illnesses.
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http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=1192119