[Kabar-indonesia] Kalla Says Bakrie Family Should Take Responsibility Over Mud Flow Mess

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

Indonesian VP says minister should take responsibility over mud mess

JAKARTA, June 20 (AFP) -- Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla 
on Tuesday has called for the family of a top minister to take some
responsibility for a massive flow of hot mud near a gas well his
company operates, a report said Tuesday.

The gushing mud has caused some 4,000 people to flee their homes in
East Java. It began seeping from several locations near a gas well in
Porong on May 27, the same day an earthquake rocked nearby provinces.

The government has said the quake was unrelated to the flow and came
as a result of drilling at the nearby well. Lapindo, the company
operating it, is a subsidiary of the business group owned by welfare
minister Aburizal Bakrie's family business group.

"The Bakrie family should be at the forefront in taking over the
responsibility for the suffering of the people," Kalla told hundreds
sheltering at a market hall due to the mud, according to the Detikcom
online news service.

But the vice-president, who also toured the area by helicopter, said
the government would take responsibility along with Lapindo.

The flow has intensified since last month, flooding scores of hectares
of settlements and ricefields in the area with up to 30 centimeters
(12 inches) of mud.

The sludge has also covered part of a major tollway linking the East
Java capital Surabaya with the city of Malang to the southeast.

A team of officials from the environment and energy ministries and
academics is seeking the quickest and safest way to stem the mud flow.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last week called on authorities to
thoroughly investigate the cause of the flow and punish those
responsible.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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