Explosions Hit Hong Leong Asia Owned Granite Quarry

26 March 2007
TODAY

SABOTAGE is suspected to be behind four explosions that ripped through a
granite quarry in Karimun, in the Riau Islands of Indonesia, on Friday.

No one was injured in the blasts, which happened in the early hours of
Friday at PT Karimun Granite, a subsidiary of Singapore-based Hong Leong
Asia, reported Channel NewsAsia.

The head of police for Riau District, Brigadier-General Sutarman, said
three of the blasts affected the conveyor belt used for transporting the
granite to the port. The fourth happened near the guard-house. A team of
forensic specialists from Medan are now in Karimun to investigate the
blasts.

In an interview with Indonesian newspaper Kompas, the police chief said
foul play was suspected.

In 2000, Hong Leong Asia acquired a majority stake in PT Karimun Granite -
the largest hard rock quarry operation in South-east Asia - to supply the
increasing demand for marine rocks for reclamation works in Singapore as
well as raw materials for the group's other operations.

Following the ban on sand exports, Indonesia has been talking in recent
weeks of a ban on granite exports for environmental reasons.