Wayne W. Murdy, CEO
Newmont Mining Corporation
1700 Lincoln Street
Denver, CO 80203

RE: Please clean up NMR mine and compensate the local people!

Dear Mr. Murdy,

I write in support of the communities of Buyat Bay and Ratatotok in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, where the Newmont Minahasa Raya (NMR) gold mine will soon close, leaving behind lasting environmental, economic and health problems for the local population.

In its seven years of operation, the NMR gold mine extracted 4.78 million tons of ore and dumped more than 4 million tons of highly toxic mine wastes into Buyat Bay -- a staggering 2000 tons a day. Ocean dumping, also known as Submarine Tailings Disposal (STD), is cheap and convenient, but is banned in many developed countries because of harmful environmental and health impacts. Laden with heavy metals and other toxins, mine tailings are a grave ecological concern in coastal waters.

A 2003 report by the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) found that Newmont’s tailings contain four times the government-allowed level of cyanide and high levels of mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. Toxicologists found similar results in 1999 and recommended that the tailings disposal system be redesigned, but their recommendations were ignored.

Residents of Buyat Bay suffer symptoms consistent with mercury and arsenic poisoning, including skin rashes, body sores, severe headaches, tumors, and reproductive health problems. Poisoning of the marine environment has caused fish kills and tumors in fish, leading to a collapse of the local fishery, the major source of food and income for the people of Buyat Bay. Farming families in Ratatokok also lost their livelihoods when Newmont paid them less than one US cent per square meter for their land.

I urge Newmont to guarantee that it will fully apply its Social Responsibility Policy during the NMR mine closing process, including its pledges to "respect the social, economic and cultural rights of indigenous people;"set operating standards that exceed the requirements of the local law;"[and] consult stakeholders in matters that affect them." These policies require that Newmont meet the communities' demands for:

(1) Mine closure, clean-up and reclamation that meet United States standards;
(2) free health services for the people of Buyat Bay and Ratatotok; and
(3) fair compensation for lost land and livelihoods.

I also urge Newmont to take leadership within the mining industry by stopping the use of STD, as strongly recommended by the World Bank’s Extractive Industry Review panel, unless and until independent research proves it safe.

Thank you for your immediate attention to the urgent needs of the communities affected by the Newmont Minahasa Raya mine. I will join millions of concerned citizens worldwide in continuing to monitor this situation closely.

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