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)