From last posted article: looks positive
Nevertheless permission for any surface disturbance activity in the areas classified as “protected forest” has to be obtained from the Ministry of Forestry, and this process can easily take two years. Ed Rochette is sympathetic with the principles behind the regulations, however it is as much in the Indonesian government’s interest to facilitate the development of a major gold mine as of any of EAS’s other stakeholders involved with the project. “We believe we may have been able to identify a way forward, working with the government officials, that will bring the
time-scale well below six months,” he says diplomatically. “The new drilling programme, which has already started in areas without surface restrictions, will confirm the viability of this project, and it should also demonstrate significant extension to the resource.”