Papua Tribe Targets Mining Giant Freeport in $30 Billion Legal Action

The Amungme tribe on Thursday filed a $30 billion lawsuit against Freeport McMoRan, one of the world’s major mining firms, for alleged damages sustained over 40 years of operations on their ancestral lands in Papua.

The plaintiffs claim they are the legitimate owners of 2.6 million hectares of land on which the mine is located, and that the 1967 work contract between the government and Freeport was made without their approval. They also questioned the promised trust fund of $1 million a year that they said was never received. The tribe has further accused Freeport of the illegal eviction of indigenous people, with the support of government troops.

The lawsuit is also directed against the government and PT Indocopper Investama, a Bakrie group company, each owning a 9.36 percent stake in PT Freeport Indonesia, the local unit of the US-based mining giant.

The plaintiffs have demanded that the court fine the defendants $20 billion for environmental damages caused by the mining activities and $10 billion for human rights violations.