SBY orders investigation on Freeport
Thursday, March 16 2006 - 11:22 PM WIB
SBY said the government would investigate claims that the mine had failed to benefit local communities and that the firm was in dispute with local traditional miners.
"I personally have asked the minister of energy and mineral resources and the minister of environment to look at (the claims) one by one," he told a press briefing at his office.
He said he wanted to ensure that Freeport's annual community development programs, totalling some Rp. 400 billion (US$43.75 million dollars), had been used effectively.
Armed forces chief Joko Suyanto said he and national police chief Sutanto would leave for soon for Papua.
Protesters killed three policemen and a passing air force officer during a demonstration in Jayapura, Papua province against the world's largest gold and copper mine.
The violence, which also left many injured, occurred outside the university in the provincial capital Jayapura amid ongoing protests against the operator of the mine, US giant Freeport-McMoRan Copper& Gold Inc.
Papua police spokesman Kartono Wangsadisastra said that three police officers were killed, including two who were burned alive, and an air force sergeant also died. He said police reports suggested the sergeant had been attacked by the mob while passing by the area during the clash.
The mob also seriously injured 19 officers and a journalist from the weekly Tempo magazine. No information was immediately available on injuries among the protesters.
Protests 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 five 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, in Jayapura and elsewhere.
Police said the latest protesters had blocked the main road outside the campus for two days and nights.
Freeport has been variously accused of not giving enough to the people of Papua in return for the mine, polluting and being responsible for human rights abuses through their use of the military for protection. (*)