Irian Jaya demands 50 percent stake in Freeport
Thursday, March 23 2000 - 04:00 AM WIB
Irian Jaya governor vice governor JRG Djopari demanded that the central government and the provincial administration had equal shares in the copper and gold mining company PT Freeport Indonesia.
"We demanded 50 percent of the government's shares in the company," the vice governor said in a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission II on Wednesday.
The government currently holds around 9 percent shares in the company which operates a huge copper and gold mine in the Grasberg area of Irian Jaya.
Djopari also demanded an Irian Jaya native be installed as a member of the company's board of commissioners replacing Priyadi Santoso, who represented the Indonesian government in the board. He did not name the replacement.
He also propose the company's director representing the government be replaced with the Irian Jaya's native.
"We have prepared officials of the provincial mines and energy office for the positions, that is Maideta and Moses Nosse," Djopari said. (*)