Sunday, January 25, 2015

1) A NEW HOPE FOR PAPUA

2) Freeport to start divesting  stake in 2015
3) Freeport's Export Permit Extended  

4) Little progress in Papua shooting probe, says Amnesty
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http://magz.tempo.co/konten/2015/01/20/PSC/29458/A-New-Hope-for-Papua/22/15
TEMPO
1) A NEW HOPE FOR PAPUA
NELES TEBAY* 

Despite the shootings that killed five Papuans and five members of the Police in December 2014 and January 2015, the Papuans in general are entering the new year with hope for peace in their ancestral land of Papua.
The hope for peace was raised by President Joko Widodo through his first presidential visit to the western half of New Guinea island on December 27-29, 2014. Because of the vis- it, Papuans can stay strong and keep working for peace in the midst of conflict. Let us highlight how President Jokowi has raised new hopes for Papua.
President Jokowi declared that Papua should become a land of peace. “We want to create Papua as a land of peace,” said the president. 

This means that Papua should be transformed into a territory where all its citizens, whoever they are and whatever their backgrounds, live a peaceful life.
Papua as a Land of Peace should not be mistakenly interpret- ed as a reflection of today’s realities on the ground. Peace has not yet reigned in Papua as some economic, social, cultural and political problems remain unsettled. But it is the dream of the Papuan society, which must struggle to realize it.
Papua as a Land of Peace must serve as the guiding principle as well as the end result of all policies and activities implement- ed in Papua and West Papua provinces. Development in all as- pects of life, initiated by individuals, groups, governments and non-governmental institutions, should be carried out to create peace.
Conflicting interpretation on Papua as a Land of Peace could bring about conflict and tension among different parties. There- fore President Jokowi along with Papua citizens should share a common understanding of this concept. They should reach an agreement on the economic, environmental, social, cultural, educational, health care, political, governmental, security and human rights perspectives and indicators, relevant to Papua.

These should cover what problems must be addressed for the sake of peace, what should be the solutions to the identified problems and what contribution can be offered by which stake- holder. Therefore there is a great need to have a serious discus- sion and consultation among all the stakeholders to come to a common understanding on these indicators.
Papuan citizens, both indigenous and migrants, should not simply be expecting, let alone begging, from people outside of Papua to help formulate and dictate these indicators pertain- ing to Papua. They should be the ones to take the initiative in holding the discussions. In fact, they should be the first and the main party to be fully responsible in determining peace indica- tors in Papua.
Therefore, the whole process of discussion on Papua should be initiated in Papua, by Papuan citizens. Each and all Papua citizens should be involved in making the indicators on Papua.

It is important for the government to provide a safe place and environment for all stakeholders to be involved, freely and

without fear of intimidation, in the discussions and consulta- tions. Once they are able to reach an agreement, formulate and determine the indicators, they will be able to identify what ac- tions are needed, what contributions are expected from each stakeholder, to create a lasting peace in Papua.
Secondly, President Jokowi has shown the way to create last- ing peace in Papua. From his public statements during his vis- it, it is clear that development is greatly needed if peace is to be achieved in Papua. Papua will not have peace if development is ignored. Therefore, the President emphasized the need to carry out development in all aspects of life, such as education, health care, infrastructure and so forth.
While strongly refusing violent conflict, President Jokowi emphasized dialogue as a dignified way of attaining peace, not by violence, killings, tortures, and other forms of human rights violations. The President encouraged all parties not to resort to violence in solving problems in Papua. He promised that he will listen to peoples’ voices and engage in dialogue with them in or- der to to attain peace in Papua.

President Jokowi believes dialogue is the medium with which to raise trust between the people and the government, encour- aging governors and regents in Papua and West Papua, the po- lice chief and local military commanders to have more dia- logues with the people. The President is fully convinced that it is only through dialogue that problems can be identified and jointly-agreed solutions can be achieved. He himself is willing to listen more to Papua citizens and therefore he promised to visit Papua three times a year.
Thirdly, President Jokowi emphasized the importance of uni- ty and the involvement of all stakeholders in working for peace in Papua. The stakeholders include religious leaders, Papuan tribal leaders, leaders of each non-Papuan ethnic group, wom- en and youth leaders, local and central governments, the mili- tary, the police, multinational and national private companies exploiting the natural resources in Papua, Papuan rebels in the jungle as well as in diaspora (Papua New Guinea, Australia, the Netherlands, UK, USA and Vanuatu).
President Jokowi has invited all parties to be united and work for a peaceful Papua. “Let’s be united. To those who are still liv- ing in the jungle and those who live in the mountains, let us be united to build a peaceful Papua. Let us begin trusting each oth- er so that we can talk to each other in a fresh and peaceful envi- ronment,” he said. Certainly, an inclusive mechanism is need- ed to provide room and space for each group of stakeholders to discuss and produce their collective contribution towards peace.
The president has brought new hope to Papua. Papuans can look forward to 2015 with the expectation that the conflict in their land can be settled through peaceful means, namely through dialogue and development.

LECTURER AT THE FAJAR TIMUR SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY AND COORDINATOR OF PAPUA PEACE NETWORK BASED IN ABEPURA, PAPUA. 

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http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/26/freeport-start-divesting-stake-2015.html

2) Freeport to start divesting  stake in 2015
Tama Salim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Headlines | Mon, January 26 2015, 8:21 AM - See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/26/freeport-start-divesting-stake-2015.html#sthash.DaUhMytb.dpuf
Mining giant Freeport McMoran will start divesting its stake in subsidiary PT Freeport Indonesia in October as both companies have drawn up an agreement that will allow the copper giant to resume exports.

The divestment would be carried out in two stages, said R. Sukhyar, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s director general for minerals and coal. The first will be a 10.6 percent stake in October this year and the second will be the remaining 10 percent next year, according to Sukhyar.

A 2010 government regulation requires Freeport to divest some of its stake in its Indonesian subsidiary to the government, which now already owns nearly 9.4 percent of Freeport Indonesia. 

The update on divestment came as Freeport and the government extended a six-month memorandum of understanding (MoU) — which expired on the weekend — that will allow the company to continue exporting despite a lack of progress in the construction of a required smelting plant.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said said Freeport had made progress on land procurement for the smelter, which would be on an 80-hectare site belonging to state fertilizer firm Petrokimia Gresik. The land is located in Gresik, East Java, adjacent to a copper smelter operated by Smelting Gresik, which currently processes a small amount of Freeport’s copper concentrate.

“The government is concerned about the continuity of Freeport’s operations, which will have a significant impact at the local and national level,” Said added. Freeport Indonesia has thousands of employees and subcontractors.

As a prerequisite for the contract extension, Freeport will build a smelter in East Java worth US$2.3 billion and will invest $15 billion in its main underground mine project to “show our commitment to providing added value to Papua and the country”, said Freeport Indonesia president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin.

“For us, the next six months will be put to good use. We’ll cooperate with the government so that we won’t fall behind on the contract-extension negotiations,” he added.

Under a new development plan, Freeport Indonesia will develop a smelter able to process 2 million tons of copper concentrate into copper cathode, as a consequence of the 2009 Mining Law, which requires mining companies to add value to their raw commodities. 

The law is the legal basis of the government’s ban on mineral ore exports, which came into effect on Jan. 12 last year. Despite the ban, the government is allowing semi-finished products, such as copper concentrate, to be sold overseas until 2017. However, mining firms that want to continue exporting semi-finished minerals have to show a commitment to smelter development.

Following the government’s threat earlier this week to freeze Freeport’s export permit because of the company’s seeming reluctance to fulfill its obligations, the copper miner rushed to seal an MoU with Petrokimia Gresik, which was announced on Thursday.

“What’s important is to continue this [Freeport’s Grasberg gold and copper] mine; this mine’s got a 30- to 40-year life. If the mine shuts down there will be no more jobs in Papua,” said James “Jim Bob” Moffett, chairman of Freeport McMoran’s board of directors. “Today, Freeport is 96 percent of the Papuan GNP [gross national product].”

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http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2015/01/26/056637660/Freeports-Export-Permit-Extended
MONDAY, 26 JANUARY, 2015 | 12:20 WIB
3) Freeport's Export Permit Extended  
TEMPO.COJakarta - Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said said he has extended PT Freeport Indonesia’s export permit for the next six months. Its contract extension, however, has not been decided.
“For the next six months, we will agree on matters that haven’t been agreed on,” said Sudirman on Sunday.
According to R Sukhyar, director general for mineral and coal, the government and Freeport will seek agreement related to acceleration of development in Papua in the next six months. The government wants to take advantage of Freeport’s presence to expedite development in Papua, including mineral sector.
“This second MoU will add other important things in contract amendment,” said Sukhyar.
With the MoU extension, the government cancels on revoking Freeport’s export permit. Sukhyar said the cancellation was decided after Freeport was deemed committed to build smelter.
PT Feeeport Indonesia president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin said he appreciated the MoU extension and the next six months must be utilized.
“Building of smelter which costs US$2.3 billion has been decided in East Java,” said Maroef.
Freeport’s contract will explore in 2021. Previously, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration has signed an MoU on Freeport’s contract amendment which will change Freeport’s contract to operating permit in 2021-2041. However, two years before Freeport’s contract ends, the government and Freeport must sign contract amendment.
 
KHAIRUL ANAM

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http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/264553/little-progress-in-papua-shooting-probe,-says-amnesty


4) Little progress in Papua shooting probe, says Amnesty

Updated at 3:30 pm today

The Indonesia researcher for Amnesty International says there is little sign of progress being made in the investigation into five students who were killed by the military in West Papua.
In December, security forces opened fire on about 800 protesters gathered outside a police station in the town.
Five people were killed, and at least 17 others -- including children -- were injured.
Josef Benedict says three investigations were launched and the President, Joko Widodo, condemned the shootings.
However, he says little progress has been made since then.
"We know that there have been investigations initiated by the authorities, but again we are concerned that those investigations will again be swept under the carpet like many other investigations, leaving the victims without any access to reparations or justice."
Josef Benedict says international pressure needs to be put on Jakarta, and a more independent investigation is needed into the shooting, as currently the military and police are investigating the military and police.

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