Paniai Gold linked with military operations in Papua
Friday, December 23 2011 - 02:17 AM WIB
The Jakarta Globe reported that Australia?s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was aware of the reports but said there was no Australian government connection to the operations.
The ministry spokesperson said any inquiries regarding the involvement of the company ? identified as Paniai Gold should be directed to the company itself. ?We are seeking to speak to the company about the reports.?
Paniai Gold is a fully owned subsidiary of Melbourne-based gold miner West Wits Mining.
The report, released by Australia-based activist group West Papua Media, alleged the Australian-trained joint police and counterterrorism unit Detachment 88 (Densus 88) was involved in the allegedly bloody military operations.
The allegation was based on reports from Marisan, the Director of the Papua branch of the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy (Elsham). It said that Densus 88 had been embedded with police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) units during operations against suspected members of the West Papua Liberation Army (TPN), based at Eduda, Paniai.
According to Marisan, 30 people had died in the latest violence, including 17 people shot dead during the military operations in Eduda.
The Australian foreign ministry reiterated that Australia had long recognized the territorial integrity of Indonesia.
?Australia does not support independence for the Papuan provinces. The best chance for a secure and prosperous future for the people of Papua and West Papua lies within an integrated Indonesian state.? (*)