Three police brigades deployed to protect Newmont Nusa Tenggara

At least three brigades from the special police force have been prepared to protect PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara amid a growing anti-American sentiment in West Nusa Tenggara province, Bali Pos reported from the province capital of Mataram on Tuesday.

The chief of the province?s police Tri Budi Pangastuti told reporters on Monday that a brigade of the special police force had been deployed to protect the company?s assets and American citizens from the possible attack from the anti-American protesters.

?Other two brigades of the special police are standby in Sumbawa and Mataram,? he said, adding that the special force would be helped with the regular policemen, which have been posted near the mining area.

PT Newmont Nusantara is a subsidiary of the Denver-based Newmont Corporation, and other American companies, as well as their American workers have become the target of the anti-America protesters. The anti-America sentiment grew in the country after the U.S. attacked Afghanistan on Sunday.

?We don?t have any information about 142 foreigners (19 of which are Americans) who have been evacuated from the mining area,? he said.

Senior Manager for external relations of PT Newmont Nusantara, Robert Humberson, said that the company and its workers remained safe and that no hostile activities had so far been directed to the company. ?We are sure that the government and the police will guarantee our safety,? he said.

Meanwhile a group of people who called themselves as the people?s force for the protection of investments in Sumbawa said they firmly opposed the ?sweeping? operation against the Americn citizens.

The head of the group, Nasrum, said that he could understand if many Moslems in the country were sympathetic toward their Moslem brothers in Afghanistan. ?But taking hostile actions against the American citizens in the country will not be able to solve the problem,? he added. (*)