1st notebook : Local Problem of Mining Exploration I would tell about my experience when I joined with exploration team at Halmahera, North Mollucas. My team consist of 5 peoples, two geologists, two mining engineers, and a surveyor. We explored a gold potential area, under name X company. This was a new exploration area for that company. Our team was the first exploration team in there. We passed one village from the accommodation to the exploration area. This village only had one main road to access the area. In the middle of the road towards the area, some civil citizens blocked the road. We had to paid some money if we want to passed. It was happened everyday, not only once but twice everyday, when we had to go and when we came back. Then they created a benchmark price. If we didn't give it, they won't let us passed. We could made this as simple problem with gave them the money, actually it was not a big prices. But I didn't think so, because if we let it happened now, it would be happened later. This could be a big problem when the production process had running. So, I proposed my opinion to our team. They agreed with me, and then we discussed it. We got solution that we must organized a counseling for the local citizens about our activity. Meanwhile their area was not included our exploration locations. If we needed to paid some money, we would paid properly, not everyday but every month in the right amount with legal commitment. The main point was not about the money, but about how the company made good interactions with the local citizens. Then we proposed it to the head office at Jakarta. They approved it and delegated some public relations to came. The counseling went smoothly and we created some commitment with the local citizen. Even the company hired some local citizens to placed in the operation area. Everything went well until the exploration had done and started the exploitation. What i could have taken from that problem, the company, as a part of mining industry, need to give contribution for the local citizen. The commitment for environment, economic and social problem must be fulfilled. The benefit which the company get, must be balanced with the responsibility to local citizens.