Freeport ready to talk tailing problem with government

Gold mine giant Freeport Indonesia is ready to talk with the state minister of environment over the operation of its tailing dumping ground in Aghwagon, Otonoma and Ajkwa rivers near its mining site in Papua.

"We are ready to talk about the tailing issue with the government," Freeport's spokesman Sidharta Moersyid told Petromindo on Thursday. But he refused to comment on the government's allegation that Freeport did not possess a proper license to dump its tailings into these rivers.

The office of the state minister of environment has accused Freeport Indonesia of having no proper license for the operation of its tailing dumping ground into the rivers.

Freeport, however, claimed that the company had received an approval from the local governments both from the provincial administration of Papua and the Mimika regency to dump its tailing into Aghwagon, Otonoma and Ajkwa rivers.

In addition, Freeport also said that the operation of the tailing dumping ground was an integral part of the company's environmental impact analysis Amdal which had received the government's approval. (Godang)