Month: March 2024

It has been nearly fifteen years since the Montara H1-ST1 wellhead caught fire in 2009. The incident caused environmental damages to Indonesia’s coast. The companies involved initially insisted on their innocence then representatives of the affected people and farmers filed a class-action lawsuit in the Australian Federal Court. In Indonesia, the Government also tried several means to demand the parties be held accountable. The last time we reported on the proceedings was in 2021, when the Court gave a very satisfying result. However, the Court’s judgment is meaningless if the companies involved deny responsibility. Fortunately, the Australian Federal Court eventually decided in favor of the plaintiffs in 2022. However, even after all that, so far, the farmers reportedly have not received the compensation they should have received, no thanks to the complicated issue with their own legal representatives and funders.