TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-Papuan Regional Representative Council member Charles Simaremare said that Papuan people want PT Freeport Indonesia to open their office in Papua. It is because the royalty given to Freeport never made it into the region directly. “Freeport office is located in Jakarta, its royalty goes into central government,” stated Charles on Sunday, October 25.

In Papua, said Charles, local people are merely spectators of the American company. They’re not allowed to get close to the mining site. “Only lately 30 percent of Papuans become Freeport’s employee. Even that is for [non-managerial] level.”

However, he stated, treatment received by local employees is completely the opposite of their expatriate counterparts. He was sorry Freeport never build smelters in Papua, even after the company has been digging for gold for 40 years.

VP of Corporate Communications Freeport Indonesia Riza Pratama said that Freepoty will not build any smelter in Papua due to low infrastructure there. Riza claimed that the company has given bigger royalty to Indonesia instead of the sum they give to their parent company in America. “60 percent is returned to Indonesia, and 40 percent goes to Freeport,” he added.

MAYA AYU PUSPITASARI