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.