Freeport ready to resume operation

Freeport Indonesia will resume operations at its gold and copper mine in Grasberg, Papua on March 12 after being halted following internal conflicts among the company?s workers, the company?s top executive said.

Freeport?s newly appointed President Director Rozik B. Soetjipto said the company had informed workers that the mining activities would be resumed again on March 12. He said that Freeport would cooperate with the labor union, the local community, and related agencies to ensure that workers could work normally without any intimidation

Operations at the mine were suspended by Freeport on Feb. 23 due to work disruptions following a three-month strike late last year. Intimidation and violence by some workers against others who did not take part in the strike disrupted operations at the mine.

Freeport's projected 2012 sales volumes of 930 million pounds of copper and 1.1 million ounces of gold, including 210 million pounds of copper and 400,000 ounces of gold in the first quarter, are under review and will be updated to reflect the impact of the disruption at the mine, the Phoenix-based company said as reported by Reuters. (*)