Halmahera - History, Mining on Halmahera

area 17 936 km²/6923 sq mi, pop (2000e) 129 000. Largest island in the Moluccas, Indonesia, on the Equator SW of the Philippines; forested mountain chains, including active volcanoes; taken by the Dutch in 1683; independence, 1949; hunting, fishing, rice, coconuts.

Halmahera (also Jilolo or Gilolo) is the largest island in the Maluku Islands.

Halmahera has a land area of 17,780 km² (6,865 sq mi) and a population in 1995 of 162,728.

History

Sparsely-populated Halmahera's fortunes have long been closely tied to those of the smaller islands of Ternate and Tidore, both off its west coast.

During World War II, Halmahera was the site of a Japanese military base at Kao Bay.

In 1999 and 2000 Halmahera was the site of violence between Christians and Muslims that began as a purely ethnic dispute between residents of (mainly Christian) Kao and (entirely Muslim) Malifut sub-districts and then took on a religious nature as it spread through much of the North Moluccas. In June 2000, about five hundred people were killed when a ferry carrying refugees from the fighting on Halmahera sank off the northeast tip of Sulawesi island.

Today, much transportation to the rest of Indonesia is through connections on the provincial capital, Ternate island; Also, the provincial government has plans to move the provincial capital to Sofifi, a small village on the Halmahera coast opposite Tidore island.

North Maluku province consists of 8 districts, 6 of which include a part of Halmahera island. They are: North Halmahera, West Halmahera, East Halmahera, Central Halmahera, South Hamahera, Ternate Municipality, Tidore City and Islands and Sula Islands. Only Ternate Municipality and Sula Islands do not include any part of Halmahera.

Mining on Halmahera

Halmahera is the site of several mining projects.

Australian corporation Newcrest Mining is the majority owner of two gold mines on the island. The Gosowong mine was an open-pit cyanide-leach mine that operated from June 1999 to May 2002, and is now closed. This latter mine has been the subject of conflict between local residents and the mining company.

In 2003 and 2004, there were intermittent protests at the Toguraci site by residents seeking to stop the Newcrest mine. Until late 2003, security at the mine was provided by members of the Indonesian military, who were paid by Newcrest Mining's local subsidiary.

Weda Bay Minerals is engaged in developing a nickel and cobalt mine on the island. The single-purpose corporation, focused only on developing this mine, is a joint venture of two Australian mining companies, and is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada.