"Press release: Communities threatened by North Sumatra high-risk mine appeal for Chinese withdrawal of financial support with 2,000-signature petition" BAKUMSU, 23 May 2025

Residents of Indonesia’s Dairi Regency are calling on the Chinese government to withdraw its financial support for the Dairi Prima Mineral mine. A petition signed by more than two thousand community people was delivered to the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta today.

Despite an Indonesian Supreme Court ruling in 2024 declaring that an environmental permit for the mine must be revoked, the majority owner—the state-owned China Nonferrous Metal Industries Foreign Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd. (NFC)—has insistedthat the project will move forward. And the Chinese state-owned investment company CNIC Corporation has provided funding to NFC to support this.

World-leading mine hydrologists and civil engineers have said that due to the problematic location of the Dairi Prima Mineral tailings dam it would also almost inevitably leak or collapse, sending a wave of toxic mud downstream and to the sea.

Local community members have also alleged disinformation and intimidation associated with the project. Ms. Nursariana Hutauruk from Bonian village said “DPM have been feeding lies to people immediately around the mine. They say there is no chance of a dam leakage, overflow or collapse. But we know it would be inevitable [...].”

Ms. Tioman Simangunsong [...] said “Even with the company’s disinformation campaign, and with local government representatives threatening to withdraw social benefits from people who oppose the mine, we have over two thousand signatures.”