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Papuan students rally against Freeport smelter plans
Mining giant PT Freeport Indonesiaâs plan to develop a smelter to process mineral ore in Gresik, East Java, has led to a protest being staged by Papuan students in Makassar, South Sulawesi
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ining giant PT Freeport Indonesia's plan to develop a smelter to process mineral ore in Gresik, East Java, has led to a protest being staged by Papuan students in Makassar, South Sulawesi.
Fifty members of the Solidarity Forum of Papuan Students and Communities staged a rally to protest the smelter construction from the Mandala Monument to a nearby overpass in Makassar on Wednesday.
In their speeches, the protesters firmly rejected Freeport's plan to build a smelter in Gresik, saying that local communities in Papua should benefit from their natural resources and enjoy improved prosperity from the wealth.
'Freeport's plan to build a smelter in East Java will result in people there enjoying the benefits while in contrast it will inflict losses on us as Papuans. Therefore, we firmly reject this plan,' said Suarek Malik, the rally coordinator.
He said Freeport should uphold Law No.11/1967 on mining, which stipulates people's rights in the case of land being converted into mining areas, by developing a smelter in the area and employing Papuans in the facility.
In the rally, the students also expressed support for Papua Governor Lukas Enembe in his rejection of Freeport's smelter construction plan, saying it would bring losses to Papuan communities.
'The results of Papua's natural resources must benefit Papuans, not those from other regions,' said Suarek.
The students also protested the fact that Papua seemed to be overlooked in industrial development. They said the government should prioritize industrial development in Papua also so that the territory could enjoy progress in development and eventually improved livelihoods for its people.
Suarek said the students urged President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo to stop Freeport building its smelter outside of Papua.
'The President must assert that the smelter can only be constructed in Papua,' he said.
President Jokowi should also enforce Article 25 of Law No.4/2009 on minerals and coal, which prohibited the exportation of raw mineral ores, he added. (ebf)(++++)
