Soeharto in Irian Jaya to inaugurate new town

Soeharto in Irian Jaya to inaugurate new town

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto arrived in the Irian Jaya
town of Timika yesterday to inaugurate a $400 million town
established by the American copper and gold mining giant PT
Freeport Indonesia.

Antara reported from Timika that the new 17,500 hectare town,
to be called Kuala Kencana, will be able to accommodate 20,000
people, mostly Freeport employees.

The President's entourage included First Lady Mrs. Tien
Soeharto, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, Minister of
Mines and Energy I.B. Sudjana, and State Minister for
Administrative Reforms T.B. Silalahi. Irian Jaya Governor Yacob
Patippi flew in early from Jayapura to greet the delegation from
Jakarta.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, a number of activists yesterday called
on the government to initiate legal proceedings against Freeport
for allegedly dumping toxic waste in the rivers near its mining
operation in Timika.

The activists, grouped in the National Forum for Human Rights
Concern in Irian Jaya, called a media conference yesterday to
revive public attention on the fate of the people in Timika, and
the condition of the environment in the area.

They pointed at the decision by the United States' Overseas
Private Investment Corporation to rescind its policy for Freeport
because of allegations of pollution of the environment in Irian
Jaya as the basis to initiate a court action.

The forum accused Freeport of dumping tailing waste in the
rivers at a rate of 100,000 to 160,000 tons a day.

Karel Phil Erari, the forum's chairman, urged the military to
continue with the investigation that a number of troopers were
responsible for the killings of at least 16 civilians in the
Timika area early this year.

Karel said a thorough investigation and an open trial of those
responsible would help restore the local people's trust of the
government.

The Timika incidents captured international attention in
September after a group of non-governmental organizations urged
the National Commission on Human Rights to investigate it.

The group said a number of civilians were killed in a series
of incidents during military operations against Irian separatists
rebels and related efforts to protect PT Freeport over the past
year.

An investigating team set up by the National Commission on
Human Rights announced in September that 16 civilians had been
killed and four others had gone missing and that violations of
human rights were involved in these incidents.(emb/01)