Protesters call on Freeport to leave Indonesia

Aktual.co - April 22, 2013

Vicky Anggriawan, Jakarta – Scores of people from a number of difference social organisations that are part of National Papua Solidarity (Napas) held a protest action in front of the PT Freeport Indonesia central office in Jakarta.

"We demand that Freeport leave Indonesia because they have damaged Indonesia's environment", said Napas public relations officer Vivi Widyawati during the action in front of Wisma 86 in Jakarta on Monday April 22.

Widyawati said that PT Freeport is the biggest symbol of capital and has caused the greatest amount of environmental damage out of all the corporations in Indonesia. Freeport is also the most concrete form of corruption and cooptation of the government.

"The economic benefits for the Papuan community have not been as expected, on the contrary environmental [damage] has instead progressively worsened", she said.

The demonstrators also called on the government to apply a moratorium on mining licenses throughout Indonesia before there are any further designation of mining zones that involve Indonesian communities.

[Merusak Alam, Freeport Diminta Hengkang - Aktual.co. 22 Apr 2013. Translated by James Balowski.]