Guerrillas after Royalty
A fire lit by residents in Sumbawa all but destroyed Newmonts camp. It seems the funds provided to the local community were not proportionate to the environmental damage caused by the company.
March 28, 2006
HUNDREDS of youths, armed with spears made of bamboo, assembled in the open space. They came from Lebin village, in the Ropang district of Sumbawa, located around 80 kilometers southeast of Sumbawa Besar town in West Nusa Tenggara. Much like guerrillas preparing for a raid, the young men wore headscarves and arm bands, with red-and-white flags flying from some of the sharpened bamboo sticks.
On Saturday three weeks ago, they took a long march to t
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