JAKARTA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government has temporarily stopped the operations of nickel producer PT Gag Nickel in Raja Ampat Regency, Southwest Papua province, due to accusations of environmental threats, a minister said on Thursday.
The Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources will conduct a field verification before making a further decision, said Bahlil Lahadalia, minister for energy and mineral resources.
"We are temporarily halting operations until the field verification is completed," he told a press conference.
"The Raja Ampat Regency area has many conservation forests and numerous islands dedicated to tourism. However, there are also islands where mining activities take place," the minister said.
A team from the ministry has been deployed to the field to verify the situation, he added.
Meanwhile, Minister of Environment Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said on Thursday that he would review the reports on nickel mining activities in the regency and did not rule out the possibility of taking legal action. ■
