Translation of a document originally (with photo) at: http://www.suarapembaruan.com/News/1998/02/020298/Kesra/ks02/ks02.html.

SUARA PEMBARUAN DAILY (Jakarta), 2 February 1998

Mimika Local Government and Freeport will Resettle 21,000 (error: 2,100) Individuals from the Amungme, Damal, and Dani Tribes

Photo: Children from the Damal and Dani tribes in the settlements of Utikini and Pindah Baru burn land using the "swidden/slash and burn" technique to make it into a garden. They don't attend school, a problem that results from inadequate educational facilities.

TIMIKA - The saying "where there is sugar, there are ants" is not just a lot of words. It now appears to have become a fact in several places. It is said that a town that is newly built is certain to attract groups of immigrants and "spontaneous urbanites". In Irian Jaya (West Papua) in the 1940s, when Dutch oil companies began exploring and exploiting oil and natural gas in Sorong, in the Bird's Head, many immigrants and pioneers came to those swamp-lands. Now Sorong, an area called Maladum by the indigenous Mooy people, has become a town that is alive 24 hours a day. There are 43 registered bars and discotheques in the area. These are clearly for use not only by oil workers but also by Japanese sailors looking for entertainment.

And what about Timika? Now its time has come. An area that was once dense rainforest has changed in the past thirty years. A concrete jungle now flaunts itself. All the places there are places of recreation. There is a Sheraton hotel of international quality there. There is also a young men's dormitory -- a place for commercial sex. The modern life is clearing away the Kamoro people.

Moreover, the river Ajkwa, which used to be a hypnotically clear blue color has now become sandy terrain as a consequence of the discharged tailings from the mines of copper and gold on Biji Timur Mountain, on the southern slopes of Puncak Jaya. Based on data from PT Freeport Indonesia, there are approximately 113,000 acres of devastated jungle and the dead vegetation due to the flood of tailings. This area will continue to expand as the contract is valid for another 30 years. Despite all this, groups of spontaneous immigrants from various corners of Indonesia come to Timika, not unlike the ants swarming over the sugar. The copper and gold mines of Biji Timur Mountain are like sugar, causing the ants to swarm there. It is as if the mines give them hope for the future.

An Elite Area

The spontaneous immigrants, especially those looking for work, are composed not only of outsiders, but also the local people. For example, the Dani and the Damal, and one cannot close out the possibility of the urbanized Asmat, all come to the mining area. As a result of this, it is thought that the total population of Timika is increasing, and that the base population now numbers about 60,000 souls. The Dani and Damal peoples who have moved close to the satellite town of Tembagapura build their settlements close to the elite areas. They act as if they are building islands, that is, their poor houses called honay, in the midst of a sea of elegance from which will flow gold.

And so it is, the Damal and the Dani are the settlers who line the slopes of the settlements they have given the names Utikini, Pindah Baru, and Tembagapura, while the Amungme, the ones who own the mining area, have built a settlement at Banti. They prepare the land with the slash and burn system. The Dani and Damal peoples serve as farm workers for the employees of PT Freeport who are ethnic Amungme, Western Dani from Ilaga, and Damal from Beoga. Their total number is still increasing, and now reaches 21,000 souls [error: probably 2,100].

According to the President Director of PT Freeport Indonesia, Adrianto Machribie, the presence of this urban/settlement group which uses traditional farming methods to open sweet potato gardens in Banti, Utikini, Pindah Baru and Tembagapura are still of a traditional character. The settlements of the Dani, Damal, and Amungme, said Adrianto, are not viable because they do not possess fresh water supplies, waste disposal, a community health center, and other sanitation facilities.

In fact, there is a great possibility of infectious diseases such as diarrhea, ...etc. If an earthquake were to occur, their settlements would slide away, so that the destruction of human lives and property would be great. "Because of that, PT Freeport is working with the local government of Mimika to move them to the plains of Timika as local transmigrants," he said.

Unsatisfactory

In the meantime, Vice President of PT Freeport, Drs A. Kafiar, MA, in a face-to-face meeting with Team Terpadu [?] Planning Body for National Development (Bappenas) whose leader is Rianto MS, MSc, said that the new settlement group near the workers' settlement [i.e. Tembagapura] needs to be moved because the settlement surroundings are not satisfactory. "There have, in fact, been social conflicts, that is massive fights and ethnic wars between the inhabitants from Amungme and the Dani and Damal. The consequences of this have been seven fatalities in the months of January and February 1997. In a peace accord made with Pangdam VIII Trikora Major General J. Lumintang, the Dani people agreed to leave the above area because it is not their own village-garden. "Because of this, the local county-level government in Mimika and PT Freeport prepared a settlement in New Utikini, close to the local transmigrant settlement number nine and Kuala Kencana Timika, the plains area for the Dani and the Damal people," continued Kafiar.

Kafiar added that the motivation for the move was born of dislike [of the settlers] or anything like that, but for humanity. The reason is based on data collected by the Survey Team of Cenderawasih University in Jayapura and ANU, that almost 75% of the inhabitants of the villages of Banti, Utikini, Pindah Baru, and Tembagapura are at the most 16 years of age. "None of these kids want to go to school or to procure health and sanitation facilities" , he said.

Kafiar, the Vice Rector of Cenderawasih University, stated that Utikini village and Pindah Baru have been designated as an area restricted by Pangdam VIII Trikora Maluku Irian Jaya (West Papua) and the Bupati [county leader] of Mimika, Drs TO Potereyauw. "This issue is given over to the people [i.e. the Amungme?]. They have suggested that they [i.e. the settlers] need to be moved. Beginning on 1 Nov 1997, no-one can enter the Restricted Area without a letter of permission from the Camat of Mimika or the Commandant Rayon Militer...etc." said Kafiar. The Bupati of Mimika, Drs Potereyauw, said that [in making] the move to return the people to the settlement, the government and Freeport offer two choices to the people. First, to facilitate the return home of the Dani and the Damal to their respective natal villages in Paniai and Jayawijaya Districts. Second, to absorb them into the transmigration program as local transmigrants, and move them to Settlement Units, one of which is close to Timika, and two others which have yet to be built. According to Potereyauw, before the move, the inhabitants will be asked to choose one of the choices given and sign a promise [to adhere to their decision]. This promise states that the head of household (KK) will surrender rights to the land which presently constitutes their place of dwelling. In addition to that, they will harvest their existing gardens, demolish all buildings they have already built, and agree not to return to the restricted area. For those who return to their homelands, said Potereyauw and Kafiar, the government working with Freeport will improve facilities in those area and will build new houses and [health facilities ] for the people.

Furthermore, those who chose to move to the transmigrant locations will be given a transmigrant program package which consists of one house, 2 acres of land, schooling and a health center, and several other modern facilities. In addition, in accordance with the Cooperative Department, all heads of household will be entered as members of the cooperative so that they can get full benefits [from it]: suitable skills and other economic opportunities. "We sincerely hope that their new settlement area will be a land of milk and honey. That they will not suffer from malaria or be left behind in regards to farming [techniques?], and that they will use the land in a way comparable to their brother and sister transmigrants that come from Java, Madura, and Bali," he said. For this, they need to be supplied with farming skills to use the farmland [to enter] the market system. In this way, the Damal and the Dani who are beginning to become urban will become "masters " of Timika side by side with the peoples of Kamoro, Java, Madura, Bali, Batak, Maluku, and so forth, while [working] arm in arm.

Pembaruan / Wolas Krenak