Soeharto in Irian Jaya to inaugurate new town<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto arrived in the Irian Jaya
\ntown of Timika yesterday to inaugurate a $400 million town
\nestablished by the American copper and gold mining giant PT
\nFreeport Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Antara reported from Timika that the new 17,500 hectare town,
\nto be called Kuala Kencana, will be able to accommodate 20,000
\npeople, mostly Freeport employees.<\/p>\n
The President's entourage included First Lady Mrs. Tien
\nSoeharto, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, Minister of
\nMines and Energy I.B. Sudjana, and State Minister for
\nAdministrative Reforms T.B. Silalahi. Irian Jaya Governor Yacob
\nPatippi flew in early from Jayapura to greet the delegation from
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Jakarta, a number of activists yesterday called
\non the government to initiate legal proceedings against Freeport
\nfor allegedly dumping toxic waste in the rivers near its mining
\noperation in Timika.<\/p>\n
The activists, grouped in the National Forum for Human Rights
\nConcern in Irian Jaya, called a media conference yesterday to
\nrevive public attention on the fate of the people in Timika, and
\nthe condition of the environment in the area.<\/p>\n
They pointed at the decision by the United States' Overseas
\nPrivate Investment Corporation to rescind its policy for Freeport
\nbecause of allegations of pollution of the environment in Irian
\nJaya as the basis to initiate a court action.<\/p>\n
The forum accused Freeport of dumping tailing waste in the
\nrivers at a rate of 100,000 to 160,000 tons a day.<\/p>\n
Karel Phil Erari, the forum's chairman, urged the military to
\ncontinue with the investigation that a number of troopers were
\nresponsible for the killings of at least 16 civilians in the
\nTimika area early this year.<\/p>\n
Karel said a thorough investigation and an open trial of those
\nresponsible would help restore the local people's trust of the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
The Timika incidents captured international attention in
\nSeptember after a group of non-governmental organizations urged
\nthe National Commission on Human Rights to investigate it.<\/p>\n
The group said a number of civilians were killed in a series
\nof incidents during military operations against Irian separatists
\nrebels and related efforts to protect PT Freeport over the past
\nyear.<\/p>\n
An investigating team set up by the National Commission on
\nHuman Rights announced in September that 16 civilians had been
\nkilled and four others had gone missing and that violations of
\nhuman rights were involved in these incidents.(emb\/01)<\/p>",
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