Tiara Sutari, Jakarta – The Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) held a joint action [with the Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-West Papua] in front of the offices of PT Freeport Indonesia in Jakarta on Friday April 7 demanding that Freeport halt its mining activities in Papua because it harms the Papuan people.
Frans Nawipa from the AMP said that over the last 50 years in which Freeport has conducted mining activities on Papuan land there has not been the slightest benefit obtained by the Papuan people.
“What there has been has only been environmental destruction, what share of profits? All the profits have been taken by Jakarta, West Papua which is poor has instead become poorer”, said Frans in a speech in front of the PT Freeport Indonesia building in the Kuningan area of South Jakarta.
Furthermore, said Frans, over the last 50 years the Papuan people have never been invited to be involved in decision making. Moreover since the signing of the first work contract, the Papuan people have known nothing about the agreement.
“From the start when Freeport came to our land, it was illegal, the first work contract was illegal because West Papua had yet to officially become part of Indonesia”.
The gold and copper company obtained its first mining permit in April 1967. At the time the company was in the midst of a conflict with the Indonesian government over changes to the obligations and sale of company shares. (asa)
[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was “ Merugikan Masyarakat, Mahasiswa Papua Demo Kantor Freeport”.]
