Three killed in ambush on Freeport employees<\/p>\n
RK Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua<\/p>\n
A group of unidentified gunmen ambushed a convoy of Freeport
\nIndonesia employees on their way to Tembagapura on Saturday,
\nshooting and killing three people and wounding 12 others.<\/p>\n
Provincial Military Commander Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon
\naccused a faction of the Free Papua Organization (OPM) separatist
\ngroup led by Kelly Kwalik of responsibility for the attack, the
\nlatest incident involving foreigners after two Belgians were
\ntaken hostage in June last year.<\/p>\n
The dead were identified as United States nationals Ted Burcon
\nand Rickey Spear, and an Indonesian, Bambang Riwanto. Nine of the
\ninjured were foreign nationals, seven of them Americans,
\naccording to a U.S. Embassy spokesman.<\/p>\n
Mahidin said the gunmen ambushed the convoy of cars at Mile 62
\nabout halfway between Timika and the American-owned Freeport
\ncopper and gold mine in Tembagapura, one of the largest in the
\nworld.<\/p>\n
He said the Freeport security task force had attempted to hunt
\ndown the gunmen. There was an exchange of fire, but no injuries
\nwere reported.<\/p>\n
The military command deployed two companies of troops to
\nsearch through the nearby jungle in order to capture the
\nattackers.<\/p>\n
Mahidin said his soldiers found 32 cartridge cases, some of
\nthem from M-16 automatic rifles.<\/p>\n
The U.S. embassy staffer said that Indonesian government
\nofficials had told him that troops would capture the shooters.<\/p>\n
Siddharta Moersjid, Freeport's spokesman, denied an earlier
\nreport claiming the company had suspended its operations
\nfollowing the attack.<\/p>\n
\"We're still mining,\" he said without elaborating.<\/p>\n
The OPM has been waging a campaign for independence for
\ndecades. Human rights activists blamed past abuses and social
\ninjustice as the causes of the secessionist movement in the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
Foreigners have never been targeted for killing, although
\nthere have been occasional kidnappings of foreign academics.<\/p>\n
Separatist rebels abducted two Belgian documentary filmmakers,
\nJohan van den Eynde and Phillipe Simon, in Jayawijaya in June
\nlast year, but released them two months later.<\/p>\n
Earlier that year, the rebels also took two South Koreans who
\nworked for a timber company hostage for a few days.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Military deployed over 4,300 reinforcement
\ntroops in March of this year to maintain security and order in
\nthe province.<\/p>\n
Papuans are waiting for the trial of nine military officers
\naccused of being involved in the killing of local pro-
\nindependence leader Theys Hiyo Eluway in November last year.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/three-killed-in-ambush-on-freeport-employees-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}