Legal battle against PT Freeport reopens<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The legal battle between the Indonesian Forum
\nfor the Environment (Walhi) and the mining giant PT Freeport
\nIndonesia opened on Wednesday at the South Jakarta District
\nCourt.<\/p>\n
Walhi told the hearing that Freeport has been responsible for
\nenvironmental damage caused by its mining activity in Irian Jaya
\nand that the company should be held responsible for spreading
\nmisleading information about a recent accident at its dump site.<\/p>\n
The suit was filed following the collapse of a large pile of
\nwaste belonging to Freeport at Wanagon Lake near its copper and
\ngold mine in Grasberg, Irian Jaya on May 4, 2000, which led to
\nthe death or disappearance of four workers. Freeport had said
\nthat the incident was caused by the slippage of overburden waste,
\nwhich caused a wave of water and material to spill over the
\nWanagon basin spillway and enter Wanagon valley.<\/p>\n
Walhi lawyers Abdul Haris Semendawai, Lukmanul Hakim, and
\nErsan Budiman stated in the suit that Freeport had violated Law
\nNo.23\/1997 on environmental management, which obliges every
\ncompany to provide accurate and correct information about its
\nenvironmental management activities.<\/p>\n
They said that Freeport had provided incorrect information in
\nits press releases dated May 5 and May 24, 2000; during the
\nhearing held by House of Representatives Commission VIII on the
\nEnvironment, Science, and Technology on June 28, 2000; and in the
\ncompany's 1998 annual report.<\/p>\n
In the press release dated May 5 and during the House hearing,
\nFreeport stated that an early warning system had been set up at
\nBanti, a village 16 kilometers from the Wanagon basin, to warn
\nthe villagers of floods. Freeport also stated that the system had
\nworked perfectly.<\/p>\n
Walhi's lawyers, however, said the early warning system had
\nnot worked properly. They blamed the disappearance and death of
\nthe workers at Wanagon Lake on the malfunctioning of the early
\nwarning system.<\/p>\n
According to Walhi, Freeport had deliberately implied that the
\nWanagon accident had been the result of natural causes.<\/p>\n
Walhi pointed out that even though Freeport knew that the lake
\nwas prone to accident, the company did not stop dumping huge
\namounts of the waste in it. Therefore, according to Walhi, the
\ndefendants deliberately increased the risk of accidents.<\/p>\n
Walhi demanded that Freeport make a public apology through
\nnational and international media. The company was also asked to
\npublish a full-page advertisement for one week in at least 10
\nnational daily newspapers and two local daily newspapers in Irian
\nJaya; and a one-page advertisement for one month in at least 10
\nnational magazines, five international magazines and three
\ninternational daily newspapers.<\/p>\n
In addition, the company must also air prime time
\nadvertisements on national and international television stations;
\nand on 10 national radio stations at least five times a day for
\n10 days, the lawyers added.<\/p>\n
The hearing was adjourned until March 21, when Freeport's
\nlawyers, from Minang Warman & Associates, will submit their
\nresponses.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Tuesday
\nin Irian Jaya by the head of the Irian Jaya Environmental Impact
\nManagement Agency and representatives from PT Freeport Indonesia,
\nThe Indonesian Forest Entrepreneurs Association, the Jayapura
\nScience and Technology Institute, the Worldwide Fund for Nature,
\nand the United States Agency for International Development.<\/p>\n
The agreement was aimed at implementing many programs on
\nenvironmental management activities in Irian Jaya, including
\nhuman resources development and improvements to the information
\nsystem.<\/p>\n
The event was witnessed by Irian Jaya Governor J.P. Salossa.
\n(04)<\/p>",
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