2. THE ENVIRONMENT --
RESOURCE BOOM OR GRAND THEFT Resource Wealth "Indigenous people have the right to own, develop, control and use the Hands and territories, including the total environment of the lands, air, waters, coastal seas, flora and fauna and other resources which they have traditionally owned, otherwise occupied or used, This includes the right to the full reco~nition of their laws, traditions and customs, land-tenure systems, and institutions for the development and management of resources, and the right to effective measures by States to prevent any interference with, alienation of or encroachment upon these lands." West Papua is rich in resources such as minerals, timber and oil. The Indonesian Government allows the exploitation of these resources, by both Indonesian and foreign companies, at the expense of the West Papuan people and their environment. Very little of the resource revenue returns to West Papua and only a small proportion directly benefits the native Papuans. There appears to be little consideration given to longterm sustainable economic development.
The world's second largest copper mine, jointly owned by US mining giant Freeport McMoRan and the world's largest mining transnational,   Rio  Tinto   (formerly RTZ/CRA), is in the West Papuan highlands, situated adjacent to the environmentally sensitive tropical glaciers of Puncak Jaya.
Some of the world's largest transnational mining corporations have been active in exploiting West Papua's minerals. These include Freeport   (USA);   Oppenheimer (South  Africa);  Total  (France); Ingold  (Canada);  Marathon  Oil, Kepala Burung and Rio Tinto (UK); Dominion Mining, Aneka Tambang, and BHP (Australia). The international dispute over West Papua du~ing the years after 1949 can be understood in light of the natural resources in the territory, which were far better known to the transnationals than were revealed publicly.
Areas where mining concessions are situated, most notably in the Ertsberg and Grasberg mountains, the Paniai and Wissel Lakes region, Fak Fak, the Baliem Valley, the "Bird's Head" western tip and the PNG border area, are where intense dislocation and suppression of the Papuan peoples has occurred, resulting in uprisings and the most brutal reprisals by the Indonesian military.
West Papua has one of the largest remaining tracts of rainforest left in the world, but over half of it has now been designated for logging. Large Indonesian, Malaysian, Canadian, Japanese and Australian logging companies are already devastating the pristine forests.
Trans-national petroleum companies have been extracting large quantities of oil, and profits, from West Papua for many years. Two of the world's largest petroleum companies, Petromer Trend and Conoco have already extracted $4.5 billion worth of oil from one field. Shell is also a major player in the exploitation of West Papuan oil.
Forcible removal from their traditional lands, coupled with the inherent differences between traditional and industrial cultures, often causes indigenous communities to react with open hostility. "Enclave" type developments in the timber, mineral and oil sector provide the Indonesian Government with the bulk of its foreign exchange earnings from eastern Indonesia. Military personnel are closely associated with these projects.