Mining also has an immediate effect on the communities that are closest to the resource and in this respect Straits Asia knows that mining brings very beneficial impacts and we make it part of our business to ensure that local communities enjoy a better quality of life from our business. Schools, education, skills training, roads, pathways, bridges and similar projects have all been funded or developed by Straits Asia on Sebuku

Straits Asia has an active programme of community participation under which the Company contributes to various schools, education support facilities, road developments, charities, sporting groups and community development programmes. In particular, the Company endeavours to contribute to long term community prosperity by providing infrastructure or community programmes.

One way of contributing to the local community is to ensure that there is no local environmental liability once a given facility or mine closes and hence environmental performance is a core issue in Straits Asia’s business development plans and overall philosophy.

Straits Asia has a policy of employing locally and training people in the various skills required to become an integral member of the mine workforce. At the Sebuku mine in Indonesia, the Company has made significant input into community health and education programmes and is involved with farmer agricultural training programmes to assist in the development of long term rubber and pepper crops for local farmers and development of prawn aquaculture systems. These programmes have included sending staff and villagers to the Rio Tinto Foundation for community health and farmer training. In addition, a full time teacher has also been employed to teach English and Indonesian to villagers. Locally, several community health workshops have been held on the island and this has contributed to the improvements in the general health status of the local communities.

In 2003 our Group received an award from the President of Indonesia for Services to the Local Community through our Community Development Program, an acknowledgment of our work from the Highest Level.