Indonesia beefs up security around Freeport mine

Indonesia has sent troops to beef up security near the world's biggest gold and copper mine in remote Papua province after last month's killings of two American teachers and an Indonesian, officials said on Monday as reported by Reuters.

Security sources said U.S.-based Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold Inc, the mine operator in the eastern province, had asked for the reinforcements to help around 1,000 soldiers track the killers.

"Freeport asked for it. (The reinforcements will) guard the housing complex for foreigners and increase mobile patrols," Papua military chief Mahidin Simbolon told Reuters.

Freeport officials refused to comment on the security situation at the sprawling mine complex.

Simbolon said a soldier had been wounded at the weekend when unidentified attackers shot at a Freeport van but he wouldn't say whether the attack was linked to August's ambush.

Some military and government officials have blamed last month's attack, on a convoy carrying mainly American teachers and their families, on the separatist Free Papua Movement.

However, some separatist supporters and human rights groups have said the army may have staged the incident to discredit the rebels.

Both the separatists, who have been fighting a low-level rebellion for decades, and the military have denied any involvement.

Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, borders independent Papua New Guinea on a huge island closer to Australia than to the Indonesian capital Jakarta, some 3,300 km (2,000 miles) west of the Freeport mine. (*)