Riots continue in Irian copper town

Riots continue in Irian copper town

JAKARTA (JP): The copper town of Timika in Irian Jaya was
beset by further riots yesterday with damage inflicted on the
town's airport and facilities owned by PT Freeport Indonesia, the
giant American mining company.

Unconfirmed reports said two boys died after they fell off a
Freeport truck which they were riding on. The truck was one of
several vehicles that had been commandeered by rioters.

However the military quickly denied any fatalities in
yesterday's riots.

Military sources in Jayapura quoted by Antara said three
Freeport employees were badly injured and 12 others sustained
light injuries. The news agency also said seven people had been
arrested by the police in connection with the riot.

Harimau Sutney, a Timika resident active in defending the
rights of Irian Jaya tribes in the area, told The Jakarta Post by
phone that he saw thousands of people running amok yesterday,
attacking Freeport office buildings and houses belonging to its
employees.

A number of Freeport vehicles were commandeered by the
rioters, and the Timika police precinct and the local airport
were also damaged in the riot, he said.

He said he saw the protesters clashing with soldiers who tried
to disperse them. Some of the soldiers were seen firing warning
shots, he added.

The riot which had been confined to Tembagapura, the site of
Freeport's mining facility, since Sunday, yesterday spread to the
main town of Timika.

The riot originated in rumors that a local resident had been
killed after he was hit by a Freeport car in a road accident on
Saturday. The rumor turned out to be false -- the resident was
treated in a hospital and discharged the same day -- but it
quickly gained currency among local Irian people, many of whom
harbor resentment against Freeport.

The company shut down its operation on Monday and gave its
workers the day off, hoping that they could return to work on
Tuesday. Freeport officials were not available for comment
yesterday to confirm reports that the workers had not returned.

The military in Jakarta yesterday played down the incident,
saying that the military commander in Irian Jaya was handling the
situation.

Armed Forces' Chief of General Affairs Lt. Gen. Soeyono said
the riot was fanned by malicious rumors. "It was clearly an
accident. The man who was hit by the car has returned to his
home," Soeyono said.

He also confirmed that Timika airport was closed yesterday and
would only be opened when the situation returned to normal.

Soeyono said the Trikora Military Command Chief Maj. Gen. A,
Dunidja has full authority in deciding what course to take in
handling the riots.

A Reuters report said that some troopers from the Army's
special forces, led by its chief Brig. Gen. Prabowo Subianto, are
already in Timika.

The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation in Jakarta in a statement
appealed to the government to refrain from using force against
the rioters.

Director of Operations Bambang Widjojanto said the riots
showed the deep mistrust the local people have for Freeport, a
long-standing problem the government has yet to resolve.

The presence of Freeport in the area has been detrimental to
the interests of the local Amungme, Dani and Komoro tribes,
Bambang said. (imn/rms)