Freeport not involved in Timika case: Rights body
JAKARTA (JP): Not one witness of the alleged murder, torture or disappearance of civilians in Timika, Irian Jaya, mentioned any involvement by PT Freeport, a giant American mining company, the National Commission on Human Rights said over the weekend.
"None of the 23 witnesses we interviewed said that the mining company was involved in the human rights abuses in Timika," Clementino dos Reis Amaral, a member of the commission, told The Jakarta Post.
The commission set up the team to investigate the alleged murder of 17 civilians. It is alleged that 25 people were also tortured and four had disappeared around Timika in the Fak-Fak regency of Irian Jaya.
The news was first reported by non-governmental organizations and the Australian Council for Overseas Aid. According to reports, members of the Armed Forces arrested and killed indigenous Irianese protesting against the expansion of PT Freeport.
Amaral, as well as commission members Marzuki Darusman, Djoko Sugianto and Soegiri, went to Timika to get first-hand information about the case last Tuesday.
Earlier this month, five non-governmental organizations filed their own investigative report to the commission. They say that the authorities had abused villagers opposed to the activities of the American copper mining company.
Report
The NGOs stated in their report that PT Freeport was responsible for the incidents. They recounted that locals had protested the company's right to mine the land since 1975.
The NGOs said that 70 soldiers guard the company, which provides them with facilities. The say the soldiers tortured the locals on company property, making it responsible for the violation.
"Without undermining the meaning of economic development by PT Freeport investment, we urge the government to stop the killing, intimidation and labeling of the people as rebels," the statement said.
The pledge came four months after the first report about a series of clashes between the military and the local people early this year.
The earlier report, written by the Australian Council for Overseas Aid, was sent to the Indonesian Conference of Church Elders in Jakarta by Jayapura Bishop Munninghof.
Munninghof said that while the contents of the report were yet to be confirmed, the church and the commission must pay serious attention to the matter. The military previously denied all charges.
Amaral said he was convinced the people's statements were true because they were not afraid to specify local authorities as being involved.
"But none of them said that PT Freeport was involved in the case," he said
Amaral said he had asked the local authorities to protect the witnesses. He said the authorities agreed to the request.
The result of the investigation will only be revealed after the commission completes a second investigation, he said
"The new investigative team will leave for Timika at the end of this month to interview some key persons and confirm the first investigation," Amaral explained.
Amaral said the Army was posted in Irian jaya to quell separatist movements in the region.
He refused to say whether any victims were members or sympathizers of a separatist movement.
"We will re-check that in the coming investigation," he promised, adding that 85 percent of the confirmation was already in his hands. (03)