2007年VOA标准英语-Indonesian Court to Rule on Mine Pollution Case

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Jakarta
23 April 2007

Richard Ness walks upon arrival for his trial at a district court in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia (File Photo)

An Indonesian court is expected to rule Tuesday on pollution charges against one of the world's largest gold producers, the Indonesian unit of the Colorado-based Newmont Mining, and its American chief, Richard Ness. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins reports from Jakarta that international investors¹ and environmental groups are watching the verdict closely.

The U.S. Newmont Mining Corp and the chief of its Indonesian unit, American Richard Ness, are charged with dumping arsenic² and mercury into a bay in 2003 that is located near its now defunct³ gold mine on the northern tip of Indonesia's Sulawesi island.

The pollution charges stem from the testing of the water in Buyat Bay by local police officials. They found high levels of contamination that officials say poisoned the water and marine⁴ life and made villagers near the bay sick.

Both Newmont and Ness deny the charges, pointing to duplicate testing that found no contaminants and independent tests by the World Health Organization that found the water to be safe.

Prosecutors⁵ are asking for a three-year jail sentence for Ness and heavy fines for Newmont if they are found guilty.

Ness, who was required to attend all 53 hearings during the course of the 20-month trial, says investors the world over are closely watching the case.

"There are a lot of people that are watching this one, there is a lot of interest all over the world on this, not only mining but all investment because I think fundamental for any investment is you need a rule of law, the contracts need to be upheld, and I think human rights have to be protected," said Ness. "That is a fundamental whether it is foreign investment, domestic investment, or any investment."

Indonesia, which has some of the world's largest deposits of gold, tin, metal, and copper⁶, has been struggling to attract foreign investment due to widespread corruption⁷, bureaucratic⁸ red tape, and an uneven⁹ legal system.

While some of the world's largest mining firms operate in the country, including U.S. giant Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold, many of them have been accused of harming the country's rapidly deteriorating¹⁰ environment.

Torry Kuswardono, the mining campaign officer of the Indonesian environmental group WALHI, says if Newmont is found guilty, it will send a message to these big corporations that the rule of law must be followed in Indonesia.

"It means that we can control the power of the corporations, so you can control the harmful affect of the corporation and there is actually a certainty of law happening in Indonesia to protect and to save the people and the environment," he said.

Villagers for and against Newmont, along with environmentalists and mining advocates, are expected to attend Tuesday's hearing.

1 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

2 arsenic   

n.砒霜，砷；adj.砷的

参考例句：

• His wife poisoned him with arsenic.他的妻子用砒霜把他毒死了。
• Arsenic is a poison.砒霜是毒药。

3 defunct   

adj.死亡的；已倒闭的

参考例句：

• The scheme for building an airport seems to be completely defunct now.建造新机场的计划看来整个完蛋了。
• This schema object is defunct.No modifications are allowed until it is made active again.此架构对象不起作用。在重新激活之前，不能进行任何改动。

4 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

5 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

6 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

7 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

8 bureaucratic   

adj.官僚的，繁文缛节的

参考例句：

• The sweat of labour washed away his bureaucratic airs.劳动的汗水冲掉了他身上的官气。
• In this company you have to go through complex bureaucratic procedures just to get a new pencil.在这个公司里即使是领一支新铅笔，也必须通过繁琐的手续。

9 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

10 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。