Yusthinus Thobias Male, The Tough Journey of the “Professor of Mercury”
Through research, Yusthinus unveiled the fact of environmental damage and the hazards of mercury exposure for humans. Some people call him the “professor of mercury”.
Yusthinus Thobias Male
Yusthinus Thobias Male halted his steps on a footpath leading to the peak of Mount Botak. Along with his student, the lecturer was stopped by an armed officer guarding the location of an illegal gold mine. Although Yusthinus showed his research permit, the officer persistently prevented them from entering the area.
He even had an argument with the officer, who claimed he was only obeying an order. In fact, the practice of gold mining on Mount Botak on Buru Island, Maluku, is obviously illegal. In early 2015, more than 20,000 people were illegally mining gold there. Worse still, they used the dangerous chemical mercury for gold processing.