Court rejects claim against Freeport

Court rejects claim against Freeport

NEW YORK (Reuter): U.S. District Court in New Orleans rejected a second ammended complaint filed by an attorney representing the Amungme tribe in Indonesia against Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc charging human rights abuses, the company said in a statement late Friday.

The complaint stems from a $6 billion lawsuit filed in April, in which the tribe accused Freeport McMoRan's Indonesian subsidiary PT Freeport Indonesia, which operates a copper and gold mine in Irian Jaya, of "eco-terrorism" and "cultural genocide."

At that time, the company said the court dismissed the suit, but the attorney Martin A. Regan Jr. of New Orleans, claimed that the court had asked the plaintiffs to improve their case, which resulted in the second ammended complaint.

The mine was a target of protests by an Australian activist group accusing the company of violating the rights of tribal people near the mine in 1995.

In its statement, Freeport pledged to "continue working with the local people and the government of Indonesia in the implementation of the government's Integrated Timika Development Plan to meet the needs of the local people in Irian Jaya."

The mine produced approximately 500,000 tons of copper contained in concentrate and 1.8 million ounces of gold in the past year.