Silpester Kasipka, Jayapura, Jubi – Members of the Tuarek Natkime Foundation blocked the access road leading to PT Freeport Indonesia's operational area at Check Point 430 in Kuala Kencana, Tembagapura District, Mimika Regency, Central Papua, on Thursday morning.
The blockade lasted for approximately two hours. In addition to blocking the road, protesters delivered speeches demanding greater transparency in the management of scrap metal, which they said had been handled without the involvement of Indigenous customary landowners.
The demonstrators called for clarity and recognition of their rights to manage scrap metal located at Landfill 39, an area within PT Freeport Indonesia's operational zone.
Maroni Natkime, secretary of the Tuarek Natkime Foundation, said the Indigenous community was not only demanding a share of the proceeds from scrap metal management but was also seeking transparency regarding the benefits that should have been returned to local communities.
"We are not merely pursuing money or profits. What we are asking for is transparency. Where is the evidence of improvements in welfare, education, the economy, and healthcare that should have resulted from scrap metal management all these years?" Natkime told Jubi by phone on Thursday.
According to Natkime, the right to manage the scrap metal had previously been granted by shareholders to the foundation for the benefit of Indigenous communities in Mimika, particularly the Amungme and Kamoro peoples.
However, he alleged that certain parties had managed the resource without involving the customary rights holders. He also claimed that personnel from Community Development and Social Local Development (SLD) had interfered in the management of the scrap metal.
The foundation, he said, had formally written to several relevant institutions, including the police, seeking resolution of the dispute.
"We have sent letters and invited the relevant parties to attend meetings, but they did not show up. We have also submitted a letter to the Mimika Police," he said.
Natkime added that the foundation remained open to dialogue if invited by PT Freeport Indonesia's management or other stakeholders to discuss the issue transparently.
"Our hope is that everything is handled transparently and that no individuals continue using Indigenous peoples' rights for personal interests," he said.
Meanwhile, protest coordinator Aryanus Magal said the demonstration represented the third generation of the Tua Rek Nakima family's struggle for justice from PT Freeport Indonesia, particularly its Community Development division.
"As the third generation, we are demonstrating to seek justice from PT Freeport Indonesia, especially Community Development, regarding the management of scrap metal," Magal said.
Magal stated that his family possessed documents and agreements dating back to 2000 and 2014 that allegedly granted the Tua Rek Nakima family rights over the management of scrap metal. He said the dispute had persisted for decades.
According to him, the family's elders had fought for recognition of these rights for 21 years, while the third generation had continued the struggle for another 13 years without any resolution from the company.
"We have repeatedly requested meetings with management, but they have never been facilitated or accommodated. We feel that our rights have been taken away," he said.
The protesters also demanded that PT Freeport Indonesia return management rights over the scrap metal to the Tua Rek Nakima family in accordance with agreements they said were reached in 1999 and reaffirmed during a meeting in 2014. They further called for authority over the management and distribution of proceeds to be handed directly to the family without interference from other parties.
"We want to collect it ourselves and distribute it ourselves, not have it divided by the Community Development," he said.
Beyond the issue of scrap metal management, the protesters called for the replacement of several Community Development officials, whom they blamed for creating divisions within local communities due to what they described as a lack of transparency in the management of CSR funds and scrap metal revenues.
Magal said the protesters had given PT Freeport Indonesia's management three days to facilitate a meeting with Community Development leaders. The deadline was conveyed in the presence of police officers.
"If our demands are not accommodated within three days, we will take firmer action. If there is still no resolution, we will pursue legal avenues and seek judicial review through the courts," he said.
During the demonstration, the protesters presented five key demands.
They called for formal recognition of the Tuarek Natkime Foundation's exclusive right over scrap metal located at Landfill 39 within PT Freeport Indonesia's operational area.
They also demanded unrestricted access for foundation administrators and representatives of the Mimika Indigenous Peoples Institution to enter the site, the suspension of all activities by PT Elhama Famili and any other appointed parties at the location, and an end to interference by Social and Local Development (SLD), Community Development, and PT Freeport Indonesia security personnel in the foundation's management of the scrap metal.
In addition, the foundation requested that it retain full authority to manage and utilize the scrap metal assets while legal proceedings concerning alleged document forgery and the misappropriation of Indigenous rights remain ongoing.
As of publication, PT Freeport Indonesia had not issued an official response. Jubi had attempted to contact the company and several parties named in the protesters' demands but had not received any comment.