Timika situation calm but crisis remains

Timika situation calm but crisis remains

JAKARTA (JP): The situation in Timika, a town near the
Freeport copper and gold mine in Irian Jaya, was calm yesterday
after a tribal clash Thursday which claimed three lives.

The incident, sparked by a drunkard who harassed a village
head, involved Amungme, Nguda and Dhani tribes.

The Institute of Amungme Society was until last night still
trying to reach a settlement between the involved parties.

An institute activist institute told The Jakarta Post last
night casualty numbers remained the same. Institute head Tom
Beanal was still conducting on-the-spot peace negotiations
involving both tribes.

Priest Nato from Timika Parochy, a witness to the incident who
took part in the negotiations, said local civilian and military
authorities had practiced a "hands-off policy".

"It's very sad to see all this; the incident has caused death
but the authorities had done nothing to stop it," the priest said
sourly.

Brig. Gen. Slamet Supriadi, head of the Armed Forces
Information Center, told the Post last night he had no knowledge
of the incident: "I have not even heard of it. Give me time to
find out what has happened there."

Walhi, a non-governmental environment organization, said
yesterday that such clashes had been predicted for some time.

"We had reported our prediction to the National Commission on
Human Rights, but nothing had been done," Chalid Mohammad, a
Walhi official said.

Both Walhi and the Amungme Institute said the incident was
rooted in the unresolved problem involving the tribes and
Freeport over a 1 percent trust fund donated by the mining
giant.

Freeport has a project to support the development of Timika
through government projects, but the fund had been channeled
through organizations which the local people refused to
acknowledge.

"In fact," Chalid said, "the fund had been given to certain
members of the tribes who had the backing of the local
administration and the company."

This created the appearance of the administration and Freeport
having built counter groups against the tribes and their
institution, such as Lemasa, Chalid said.

"In this situation, it's obvious that almost every incident is
linked to the fund and the people who get it," Chalid said.

"Until this thing is sorted out, such an incident could happen
again anytime," he added. (12)