Rights violations rife in mining areas, NGO says<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Violations of indigenous people's basic rights
\nare rife in the operations areas of PT Kelian Equatorial Mining
\nin East Kalimantan and PT Freeport Indonesia in Irian Jaya,
\naccording to an influential non-governmental organization.<\/p>\n
The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy, which
\nconducted an investigation into human rights issues in the mining
\nareas, recorded eight gross human rights violations allegedly
\ncommitted by the government and the companies.<\/p>\n
The basic rights the state and the companies violated include
\nunwarranted arrests, the loss of rights to a decent life, freedom
\nfrom fear and freedom from torture and violence by public
\nofficials, the institute reported.<\/p>\n
Other violations that the NGO found include the loss of
\npeople's source of income, children's right to protection, and
\nadequate health standards.<\/p>\n
"People's right to determine their destiny, for instance, has
\nbeen curtailed with the establishment of the mining plants,"
\nDianto Bachriadi, who led the field survey from October to
\nDecember last year in Kelian in East Kalimantan and Timika in
\nIrian Jaya, said.<\/p>\n
According to Dianto, there are at least three causes of the
\nviolations: the state's denial of indigenous people's ownership
\nof ancestral land, the state's denial of the indigenous people's
\nsocial structure, and the forced takeover of the people's land to
\nmake way for mining projects.<\/p>\n
"The first situation is what happened to Amungme and Kamoro
\ntribespeople in Irian Jaya whose property was taken away just
\nlike that for the establishment of Freeport mining projects,"
\nDianto, who was accompanied by the institute's chairman Abdul
\nHakim Garuda Nusantara, said.<\/p>\n
"It also happened to the Bahau and Dayak people who live in
\nKelian and along the Mahakam river in East Kalimantan whose
\nproperty was appropriated for the establishment of Kelian mining
\nprojects."<\/p>\n
The government, he said, does not respect the traditional
\nsocial structure of the Amungme and Dayak tribespeople.<\/p>\n
"They've been ignored by the state in several negotiations
\nwith both PT Freeport and Kelian Equatorial Mining," he said.<\/p>\n
A 1967 law on mining puts natives in a weak position as far as
\nland acquisition is concerned. This, according to Dianto, often
\nleft people with no choice but to surrender their property.<\/p>\n
"This particular law also allows the government to decide
\npolicies on land appropriation to be used in mining projects
\nwithout consulting the natives," he said.<\/p>\n
With the termination of people's right to determine their own
\nfate, Dianto said, the people also lost their right to work on
\ntheir own land, and consequently lost their source of income.
\n(08)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rights-violations-rife-in-mining-areas-ngo-says-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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