Freeport admits pollution

Senior Manager and Department Head of PT Freeport Indonesia Dr Wisnu Susetyo has acknowledged that the company's copper and gold mining activities in Timika, Irian Jaya province has polluted the river water near the mining sites.

He said in Irian Jaya on Monday that the waste resulting from the copper and gold processing activities placed into the nearby rivers had caused the death of tombelo, a kind of shell fish living in the rivers.

"The result of the environment audit on the company's mining operation also shows the impact of the industrial waste on the environment such sa molusca," he told reporters following a meeting with officials of the provincial office of the government-sanctioned Environment Impact Management Agency (Bapedal).

In the meeting, Wisnu and his team explained the result of the environment audit recently issued by independent auditor the United States-based Montgomery Watson. State Minister for Environment Sony Keraf said recently that the audit was partial and biased because it was announced without prior endorsement from Bapedal.

He said that the company had agreed to provide compensation to people affected by the company's mining operation such as those living in Omawita village.

As part of the compensation, Freeport would provide transportation facilities, fishing equipment and a number of projects related to education and training activities, he said ( *)