Student Protest Forces Cancellation of Freeport CEO's Lecture at University of Papua

 Manokwari, Olemah.Com – A visit by the President Director of PT Freeport Indonesia to the University of Papua (Unipa) on Friday, April 25, 2025, was marked by student protests, ultimately leading to the cancellation of a scheduled public lecture. The main agenda of the visit was to deliver a public lecture and sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Unipa and PT Freeport Indonesia.

From early morning, the Universe Hall on the Unipa campus was filled with students eager to attend the lecture. However, tensions rose when a group of students staged a demonstration outside the venue, voicing their rejection of PT Freeport Indonesia’s presence. They demanded that the lecture be cancelled and urged fellow students to leave the hall.

Several university leaders attempted to engage with the protesters in an effort to de-escalate the situation. Despite this, the students insisted that the public lecture should not proceed. Taking into account the growing unrest, the university administration ultimately decided to cancel the lecture, which was to be delivered by Freeport’s top executive.

Nevertheless, the signing of the memorandum of understanding between PT Freeport Indonesia and the University of Papua proceeded as planned. The MoU aims to support the development of education at Unipa.

Dozens of Unipa students actively protested the presence of PT Freeport Indonesia's President Director, who had been scheduled to deliver the lecture and sign the agreement. The protest, which began as early as 7:00 AM local time, took place at the lecture venue where students carried placards and banners bearing strong criticisms of the mining company.

Protesters argued that the company's decades-long operations in Papua, particularly in the Tembagapura area of Timika, had not yielded tangible benefits for indigenous communities. Some of the protest signs read: “We, students of the University of Papua, firmly reject the MoU between PT Freeport Indonesia and Unipa, and demand the revocation of Freeport’s operational license issued by the U.S. and Indonesian governments”, and “Reject PT Freeport in Papua as a capitalist symbol responsible for genocide and ecocide of the West Papuan people.”

Following the escalating protest, the university officially cancelled all planned events.

President of Unipa’s Student Executive Board (BEM), Yenuson Rumaikeuw, stated that the protest was a moral response to the injustice Papuans have endured due to Freeport’s presence over the years.

"Although this gold and copper mining giant has contributed significantly to the national revenue, the indigenous Papuan people, especially those living near the mining areas, have suffered greatly from its operations," he said in an interview on campus, Amban, Manokwari, West Papua.

He highlighted environmental degradation as one of the most critical issues.

“Freeport’s open-pit mining activities have severely polluted major rivers in Mimika, such as the Aikwa and Ajkwa Rivers. The disposal of tailing waste into these rivers has destroyed natural ecosystems and wiped out local fish populations and biodiversity,” Yenuson explained.

According to research collected by BEM Unipa, over 200,000 hectares of land have been damaged due to mining waste, leading to heavy sedimentation and infertile farmland. This environmental destruction has deeply impacted indigenous Kamoro and Amungme communities.

“There is a major injustice in profit distribution. Many Papuans still live in poverty, with limited access to education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Strategic positions in the company are mostly filled by outsiders,” he added.

Beyond environmental and economic concerns, the students also criticized the social and political impacts of Freeport’s presence—particularly the militarization of the mining area.

“Being designated a national vital object, the Freeport site is heavily guarded by armed forces, which often leads to tensions with local residents and pro-independence groups. In some cases, these confrontations have resulted in human rights violations,” Yenuson asserted.

He emphasized that numerous reports from Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) and international organizations have revealed recurring violence, yet no solution has been implemented in favor of indigenous Papuans.

Responding to the student protest, Unipa’s Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Prof. Jhonni Marwa—accompanied by the Rector and other vice rectors—announced that both the public lecture and the MoU signing event were officially canceled to ensure campus safety and order.

“We had hoped to hold the lecture to foster dialogue and partnership. However, due to the escalating protest and security concerns raised by Freeport representatives, they decided to cancel their attendance,” Prof. Jhonni told students.

He added that the university would not hold similar activities involving PT Freeport either on or off campus, and any attempt to do so would result in the suspension of campus activities.

("Reported by: Anak Kampung)