Freeport protesters kill two policemen in Papua: Report

Protesters demanding the closure of the world's largest gold and copper mine in Indonesia's remote Papua province killed two policemen Thursday during a clash, police said.

"Two policemen were killed. They were beaten," Papua police spokesman Kartono Wangsadisastra told local Elshinta radio.

The clash occurred outside the state-run Cendrawasih University in the provincial capital Jayapura amid ongoing protests against the operator of the mine, US giant Freeport-McMoRan.

National deputy police spokesman Anton Bachrul Alam said earlier that two policemen were seized and more than 10 others injured in the clash. "The situation is very dangerous," he told reporters in Jakarta.

National police chief General Sutanto told reporters that there was no need to send security reinforcements to Papua.

The protests originally flared last month after Freeport security forces tried to evict local miners, who prospect among the mine's waste, alleging their activity was illegal.

Some 500 then blocked the road to the mine, forcing its closure for four days. The dispute was resolved when Freeport agreed to allow the miners to resume their work, but it triggered rowdy demonstrations in the capital Jakarta, Jayapura and elsewhere.

The company is one of the top sources of revenue for Indonesia's government. (*)