Freeport accused of trespassing upon Puncak Jaya area

PT Freeport Indonesia, the world?s giant gold and copper mining company, has quietly carried out mining activities far away into some of Puncak Jaya regency in Irian Jaya, Media Indonesia daily reported on Tuesday.

The Puncak Jaya regent Elieser Renmaur said on Monday that the American mining company?s under ground mining activities had reached several districts including Boga and Ilaga in the regency without any permits from the local authority.

?We have talked the matter with PT Freeport, but the company always denies it, saying that its mining activities are still within the Mimika regency,? he said in Mulia, the capital of the Puncak Jaya regency.

Renmaur said that the local government had asked Freeport to clearly determine the difference between ?mining areas? and ?operating areas? to ensure that areas which have been included in the mining areas would received a larger share from the royalty payment.

In 2001, the Puncak Jaya regency received a royalty of Rp 12 billion, a double from Rp 6 billion in the previous year. ?The increase could be obtained only due the help of Irian Jaya Governor Jaap P Solossa,? he said.

The Puncak Jaya regency was previously ranked only in the sixth in royalty payment after Mimika, Fak Fak, Panial, Jayawijaya and Nabire although some parts of the company?s mining activities had encroached upon the Puncak Jaya regency.

Renmaur also accused Freeport of refusing to submit the result of a mining survey conducted by the company in the Puncak Jaya regency. The survey conducted between 1994 and 1996 found gold deposits in the regency?s districts of Beoga, Illaga and Illeu. (*)