War puts Newmont on alert in Indonesia: Report

Denver-based Newmont Mining Corp.'s operations in Indonesia are on heightened alert this week after the U.S. government warned Americans about possible terrorist actions there because of the Iraq war, Rocky Mountain News reported Tuesday.

"Right now we're operating as normal, but we're taking precautions to ensure that everyone is safe," said Newmont spokesman Doug Hock. "We're working with local police to ensure that things run normally there."

Newmont operates a gold mine at Minahasa, on the northeastern tip of the island of Sulawesi, and a copper and gold mine at Batu Hijau, two islands east of Bali.

"We're in a pretty sparsely populated area," Hock said. "I think there is more of a concern in population centers."

Newmont has no plans to evacuate any of its U.S. employees, he said.

The government has asked Americans "to defer all travel to Indonesia" because of the war with Iraq.

"As a result of the military action in Iraq, Indonesia's frequent political demonstrations may escalate, increasing the potential for anti-American violence," the State Department warned on Saturday.

Newmont has 60 American employees and their families in Indonesia, but about 98 percent of its 4,080 employees there are Indonesian, Hock said. (*)