Papua No.1 News Portal | Jubi Jayapura, Jubi - Supaga District is a potential gold mining area that was part of the 1991 PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) Contract of Work II area. PT Freeport Indonesia's exploration in the Wabu Block, Sugapa District, identified reserves of more than 116 million tonnes of mineral ore containing gold and silver. [1] [2] Each tonne (1,000 kilograms) of the ore contains an average of 2.16 grams of gold and 1.76 grams of silver, with a cut off grade of about 1 gram per tonne. The total gold that can be produced is estimated at 8.1 million ounces of gold. [3] The Wabu Block was returned by PTFI to the central government in early July 2015, as part of the agreement in negotiating the PTFI Contract of Work to become a Special Mining Business License (IUPK). [4] Even though it has carried out exploration, PTFI has never exploited the Wabu Block.
The plan to mine the Wabu Block was only announced on September 22, 2020, when the Minister for State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN), Erick Thohir attended a working meeting with Commission VI of the Indonesian Parliament. [5] Erick stated that the BUMN Ministry had written to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Arifin Tasrif to give the Wabu Block to the state-owned company PT Aneka Tambang Tbk. It turns out that since February 20, 2020 the President Director of the MIND ID Mining SOE Holding, Orias Petrus Moedak has sent a letter to the Governor of Papua. He asked the Papua Provincial Government to recommend the central government to grant the Special Mining Business Permit Area (WIUPK) of the former PFFI Block B area to MIND ID. On September 29, 2020, Orias Petrus Moedak stated that his party had received the Papua Governor's response letter to the request for recommendation. Orias stated that the Governor of Papua asked the Wabu Block mining to be carried out by involving the Regional Owned Enterprises (BUMD) of the Papua Provincial Government. Orias stated that PT Aneka Tambang Tbk could open a joint venture with the BUMD of the Papua Provincial Government. "We will discuss technical [cooperation] later with the Governor. We have collaborated with the Papuan regional government in ownership of Freeport shares, "explained Orias. [6]
Orias's statement corresponds to a copy of the Papua Governor's letter that was widely circulated after the shooting incident of Pastor Yeremia Zanambani. The copy of the letter numbered 540/11625 / SET dated 24 July 2020, which includes the signature of Papua Governor Lukas Enembe, states that the Papua Provincial Government supports and recommends the Wabu Block WIUPK covering an area of 40 thousand hectares to be given to MIND ID. [7] There are concerns that the Wabu Block mining plan by PT Aneka Tambang Tbk will further escalate the armed conflict in Intan Jaya. When the Wabu Block was managed by PTFI, PTFI never carried out mining activities there. The absence of mining activities in the Wabu Block makes the security situation in Intan Jaya more conducive than the security situation in the PTFI work area in Mimika Regency which is often hit by armed conflict. Mining activities in the Wabu Block can also be a new social problem, because it can have an impact on the livelihoods and lives of indigenous peoples in Intan Jaya. Timika Diocese Administrator Pastor Marthen Kuayo Pr asked the Governor of Papua to withdraw the WIUPK recommendation for MIND ID. "There is a recommendation for a special permit in the Wabu Block, which was signed by the Governor of Papua on June 24, 2020. Please revoke this letter, if it is issued by the Governor of Papua. I have been serving at Intan Jaya for seven years as a pastor, I know exactly that location. The location belongs to the Belau, Japugau and Sondegau clans. If the company takes the area, where do the people want it to be? " Pastor Marthen Kuayo. [8] With the social, political, economic and cultural background of the people of Intan Jaya, the patterns of injustice and marginalization will have real consequences in the future. The existence of the Wabu Gold Block will also create a potential conflict that is more complicated to resolve. TPNPB has conveyed its rejection of the Wabu Block mining existence and specifically asked the Governor of Papua to withdraw the recommendation letter for the Special Mining Business Permit Area (WIUPK) Number 540/11625 / SET issued in Jayapura on July 24, 2020 [9]. This resistance can produce a new cycle of violence if marginalization worsens and the government continues to prioritize a security approach in its conflict resolution. The Topography of the Intan Jaya Conflict
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Conflicts involving violence by security forces, as well as conflicts with the background of local political contestation, are a new form of conflict in Intan Jaya. Bobby Anderson (2015), a researcher, conducted several studies related to security topography in Papua [10].
Anderson made the topography of the region in Papua based on the characteristics of the conflict. First, areas of conflict over resources / customary rights (in gray). Second, conflict areas have a background of rivalry between local indigenous peoples and migrants, which generally occurs in areas where there are many immigrants / migrants (green). Third, conflict between tribes (yellow residents). Fourth, areas with violence by security actors (dark gray). Anderson also marked a number of areas with high incidents of violence (in red). In Anderson's mapping, Papua's central highlands tend to be sites of various types of conflict. However, Anderson's conflict topographical mapping shows that the conflict in Intan Jaya was dominated by conflicts between tribes. Anderson's conflict topographic map also does not show the existence of conflict / violence by security actors in Intan Jaya. (*) Read the Intan Jaya Conflict (1) Read the Intan Jaya Conflict (2) Read the Intan Jaya Conflict (3) footnote