Antara 16 Dec 09;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Australian government has renewed its commitment to make sure that the Montara oilspil is handled openly and transparently by the establishment of an Investigation Commission.
According to the Australia embassy in Jakarta Tuesday, the commission will investigate into the oilspil, including its cause, impact and responses, and make a recommendation on measures, if needed, to prevent a recurrence of the incident.
The commission will handover its report to the Australian government by the end of April 2010. The priority of the Australian government since the beginning of the leak was to overcome the spil and minimize its impact with the support of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) which coordinates responses to cleaning Australia from the incident.
Continued control by AMSA had stopped the oilspil into the ocean from the Montara well plantformon November 3. And aerial control had stopped since November 28.
Since the safeguarding of the oil well was started, Australia`s domestic response operations were stopped on December 3. And to make sure that all the environmental impact of the oilspil had been fully understood and handled in the coming years, a firm and scientific control plan had been agreed on between the Australian government and the company responsible for the oil well platform.
Discussion are still underway between the Australian and Indonesian governments on cotrol of the impact of the oilspil, if any, in Indonesian territorial wateres.
An Australian government delegation visited Indonesia on November 10 to explain matters relating to the oilspil to Indonesian authorities including clearing operations and environmental matters relating to the oilspil.
The Australia government is committed to consistently act on the basis of international law and bilateral relations in giving responses over the mishap.
The Australian government was fully aware of a report from East Nusa Tenggara on a
positive oil test in the coastal area. Australia will discuss the report with the Indonesian government and make a sample test for comparison with a sample from the Montara oil or from oil which used to circulate in Indonesia`s eastern waters.
In the meantime, earlier seaweed farmers in the waters of Rote Ndao and Kupang regency, East Nusa Tenggara, said they were harmed by the Montara oil company which had caused the oilspil coming from the Timor Sea.(*)
