Mining "Indigenous peoples have the right to determine priorities and strategies for the development or use of their lands, territories and other resources, including the right to require that States obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands, territories and other resources, particularly in connection with the development, utilisation or exploitation of mineral, water or other resources. Pursuant to agreement with the indigenous peoples concerned, just and fair compensation shall be provided for any such activities and measures taken to mitigate adverse environmental, economic, social or
spiritual impact."  FREEPORT In  the  pristine,  high  altitude, Western Highlands of West Papua, the United States mining giant FreeportMcMoRan (Freeport) operates one of the world's biggest copper and gold mines. The region around the mine is closed off to outsiders, as well as to the traditional landowners, who have been dispossessed.History of the mine In 1936 a Dutch geologist discovered an enormous ore body that was literally a mountain of ore and named it Ertsberg ("ore mountain" in Dutch).It  was  re-discovered  in  the  early 1950's  by  a  Freeport  geologist researching library records of possible mine sites.
However, the technical difficulties involved in mining such a site, combined with President Sukamo's campaign to seize West Papua, meant that Freeport's plans to mine had to wait.In 1967, after the "Act of Free Choice" referendum, the new Soeharto regime passed the Foreign Investment Law.Freeport's   contract   with   the Indonesian Government was the first ~ to be signed under the new law.
Under the contract the company received a three year tax holiday from the Indonesian government. During this time, local villagers were paid 10 cents an hour to build forest roads for Freeport. Once mining began, those villagers were forcibly resettled in lowland areas where many of them died from malaria (Bryce, R. 1996, Spinning Gold, Lexis Nexis.) $US 200 million was spent creating the infrastructure for the mine, including: roads over and through mountains to link various mine sites and the company town; a double cable tramway; a shipping port; and a 118 km pipeline to carry copper slurry from the mine to the port.
Mining at Ertsberg began in 1972.By 1980 the ore body had been exhausted and $US 772 million worth of ore had been extracted. The mountain had, by then, been reduced to an open pit.
Nearby Mt. Grasberg was found to contain an even bigger ore body than Ertsberg, with an estimated 1 billion tonnes of ore and an expected 45 year mine life. Grasberg has become the main mine site. Other ore bodies have been  discovered  at  nearby  Mt.Carstenz and Mt Dom. Rio Tinto will significantly upgrade its stake in the