Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 23:33:21 -1000 From: SW <sjwright-AT-vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au> Subject: Rebellion at Freeport >From the 20/3/96 edition of _GreenLeft Weekly_: http://www.peg.apc.org/~stan/224/224p2b.htm > Rebellion at Freeport > > By Norm Dixon > > Thousands of West Papuan villagers have rebelled against the giant > Freeport gold and copper mine in the Indonesian-occupied western > half of New Guinea. The uprising caused extensive damage to the mine > and forced its closure for several days. > > Freeport is controlled by the US company Freeport McMoran. The > Anglo-Australian company RTZ-CRA recently acquired 12% of the > project in a deal that guarantees it 40% of any increased output. > > Resentment against the world's largest gold mine has been simmering > over the massive environmental damage, denial of traditional land > rights and the mine management's collaboration with the Indonesian > military to maintain operations. Support for the Free Papua Movement > (OPM) is reported to be strong in the area. > > Indonesian army personnel guarding the mine killed up to 37 people > during 1995. In February, army officials were found guilty of > ordering troops to shoot villagers. > > On March 8, a Freeport vehicle was involved in an accident in the > mining town of Tembagapura which injured a local villager. Relatives > of the man were denied access to him in hospital, and feelings ran > high. Then on March 10 a woman and her son were manhandled by > Freeport security guards at the Tembagapura shopping centre. This > sparked the riots. > > A petrol dump was set alight, and Freeport buildings and airport > facilities were attacked. Timika, a town of 50,000 some 85 > kilometres away, was placed under martial law by the Indonesian > authorities after villagers forced the closure of the airport. > Indonesian troops fired rubber bullets as 500 villagers surrounded > an aircraft with a senior army officer on board. > > West Papuans in touch with the protesters told the Inter Press > Service's Pratap Chatterjee on March 13: We fight against Jim > Moffett [chief executive of Freeport McMoran], Freeport and the > government. We fight because our rights are not recognised, our > resources are extracted and destroyed while our lives are taken. > > The activists told Chatterjee that after the woman was attacked by > the security guards at the shopping centre, she returned to the > settlement of Banti and told the villagers. A crowd of 3000 men, > women and children who were really mad marched to Tembagapura to > confront the Freeport security. They were armed with bows, arrows, > sticks and stones and they attacked the security office. The > violence continued on Monday morning [March 11] when they attacked > offices, schools and the shopping centre Seven security guards were > injured. > > On March 12, the protests spread to Timika, where demonstrators > reportedly commandeered Freeport buses and bulldozers. One group > proceeded to the airport and the Sheraton Hotel [owned by Freeport] > and the environmental laboratory, the activists told Chatterjee. > They were met by army troops who prevented them from going any > further. Some army troops also joined the protesters. Meanwhile > another group proceeded to Kuala Kencana, he added. > > Kuala Kencana is a new Freeport company town under construction > eight kilometres from the Timika airport. According to the > London-based human rights group Tapol, thousands of people ran riot > in Kuala Kencana, attacking security offices and company buildings > and equipment. > > It's like civil war. The Indonesian army sent in over 500 new troops > from Jayapura, activists told Chatterjee. Two protesters were > wounded, and several villagers have been arrested. The streets are > now being patrolled by heavily armed troops. The mine reportedly > resumed operations on March 15. > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > [Image] > This article was posted on the Green Left Weekly [Image] > Home Page. > For further details regarding subscriptions and > correspondence please contact greenleft-AT-peg.apc.org > -------------------------------------------------------------------- --- from list aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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