Banjir Ambarita, Farouk Arnaz & Ronna Nirmala | October 11, 2011

Jayapura. In an escalation of the long-running Freeport mine labor dispute, one man was shot dead on Monday and several more injured after a march of striking workers descended into a clash with police officers.

1) AMNESTY-INDONESIA MUST INVESTIGATE MINE STRIKE PROTEST KILLING

2) Latest Clashes Over Freeport Mine Turn Deadly

3) Protester Killed in Freeport Indonesia Mine Strike

4) One dead from Freeport clash

5) Journalists assaulted in Freeport strike

6) Papua's Forests Next on the Chopping Block: Greenpeace

7) Kontras condemns police shooting of Freeport workers

8) Two Papuans arriving to attend congress in Jayapura are arrested

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http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/indonesia-must-investigate-mine-strike-protest-killing-2011-10-10

Amnesty International

1) INDONESIA MUST INVESTIGATE MINE STRIKE PROTEST KILLING

The Freeport gold and copper mine in Papua is one of the world's largest.

© Pavo/Survival

10 October 2011

The Indonesian authorities must immediately investigate the use of deadly force by police at a mining protest, Amnesty International said today after one protester was killed and at least six injured.

Indonesian security forces opened fire on striking workers of a gold and copper mine in the eastern province of Papua run by US company Freeport-Mcmoran on Monday. Some 8,000 workers at the mine have been on strike since 15 September, after demands for a pay rise reached a deadlock.

“This latest incident shows that Indonesian police have not learned how to deal with protesters without resorting to excessive, and even lethal, force,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia Pacific Director.

“The police have a duty to protect themselves and uphold the law, but it is completely unacceptable to fire live ammunition at these protesters,” he said.

“The authorities must launch an independent and impartial investigation into this tragedy, and ensure that the results are made public,” he added.

Mine worker Petrus Ayemseba was shot in the buttocks and died a few hours later. Six other workers  - Leo Wandagau, Alius Komba, Melkias Rumbiak, Yunus Nguluduan, Philiton Kogoya and Ahmad Mustofa were also injured from the shooting.

Freeport has accused the strikers of trying to intimidate replacement workers whom the company was trying to move into the mine workers’ barracks. 

After the police opened fire, mine workers set fire to two container trucks heading to the mining town and pelted the police with rocks, according to local sources. 

Amnesty International has documented numerous cases where Indonesian police have used unnecessary or excessive force or firearms and where no one has been held accountable.

“Indonesian authorities have failed to provide justice and reparations to most victims of excessive use force by the police. They must get to the bottom of this incident quickly and signal that they will impose adequate disciplinary or criminal sanctions on the police and will protect the right of Indonesians to protest,” Sam Zarifi said.

“It is high time the Indonesian police trained and equipped their staff in non-violent methods of crowd control. They also need to ensure that they have non-lethal means of force at their disposal to disperse the protesters if necessary,” he added.

READ MORE

Indonesia must end criminalization of peaceful political protests in Papua (PUBLIC STATEMENT, 14 July 2011)
Indonesia: Arbitrary and excessive use of force and firearms in North Sumatra (URGENT ACTION, 1 August 2011)

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http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/latest-clashes-over-freeport-mine-turn-deadly/470830

2) Latest Clashes Over Freeport Mine Turn Deadly
Banjir Ambarita, Farouk Arnaz & Ronna Nirmala | October 11, 2011

Jayapura. In an escalation of the long-running Freeport mine labor dispute, one man was shot dead on Monday and several more injured after a march of striking workers descended into a clash with police officers. 

One worker died from a gunshot while a Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officer was seriously injured after he was mobbed by protestors, workers and police said. 

The workers, on strike to demand better working conditions at Freeport McMoRan’s Grasberg gold and copper mine in Papua, were marching toward the mine in Tembagapura when Freeport forces, assisted by the police, tried to block their advance, according to a member of the All-Indonesian Workers Trade Union (SPSI) who declined to be identified. 

“One of our colleagues, a Freeport worker, was shot dead while three others were wounded and are being treated at Timika hospital,” the man said. The source added that the shooting took place at Freeport’s Gorong-gorong bus terminal in Timika, where thousands had gathered. 

“They wanted to go there to close down Freeport, because up until now, the management has refused to talk,” the source said. 

He said Petir Ayami Seba had died about half an hour after he was admitted to the hospital, suffering from a gunshot wound in the chest. 

Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Wachyono said one member of the police’s Brimob paramilitary unit, First Bridgadier Jamil, died in hospital after being mobbed by the striking workers. He later corrected his statement, saying that the policeman was only seriously injured. 

“His firearm was taken and has not yet been found,” Wachyono said. 

He claimed that police had first fired warning shots. The workers also wounded seven policemen with stones and burned three company vehicles. 

SPSI spokesman Juli Parongrongan said that the union did not know why shots were fired as the workers had not provoked the police. 

The workers also reportedly attacked two journalists, Tato Sanda from the Cahaya Papua daily and Syahrul from the Radar Timika newspaper, and robbed them of their camera, telephone and motorcycle. 

“We regret that there was a security disturbance this morning, on Monday, October 10, at the Gorong-gorong terminal in Timika where the company provides buses for workers’ transport,” Freeport Indonesia spokesman Ramdani Sirait said. 

Ramdani said the mine’s management had already accepted mediation by the district and provincial manpower office and had agreed to raise salaries by 25 percent from the previous 22 percent, but the union had refused the offer.

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http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/nasional/2011/10/10/brk,20111010-360785,uk.html

3) Protester Killed in Freeport Indonesia Mine Strike
Monday, 10 October, 2011 | 23:13 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:A clash between striking workers and police near Freeport Indonesia's copper mine killed one protestor and injured others, complicating a pay dispute that appears far from being resolved.

The demonstration by the miners, over access to their barracks, was the biggest clash at Freeport Indonesia in four year and raised tensions at the company's Grasberg copper mine, the world's second biggest, where production has been disrupted since workers went on strike in mid-September.

Last week, the workers said they would extend their stoppage to mid-November as negotiations between the company and their union over better pay and conditions remained stalled, raising the prospect of more output reductions.

Last month, Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc said it would be unable to meet its third-quarter sales estimates because of the strike at Grasberg. The company also estimated each day of stoppage to impact the production of about 3 million pounds of copper and 5,000 ounces of gold.

Copper prices have so far shrugged off the dispute, weighed down by fears about a drop in metal demand if the global economy weakens, but prices could rise if the strike lingers.

"The news of the conflict at Grasberg is a timely reminder that supply considerations remain a major source of upside price risk," said Citigroup analyst David Thurtell.

"If the financial market backdrop settles down, then people will return to the strong fundamentals for copper," he said.

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange edged up 0.1 percent to $7,375 a tonne by 0909 GMT, from an early low of $7,274.25.

Disgruntled Grasberg workers protested after being barred from collecting belongings from barracks at Gorong Gorong, where buses take workers to the remote mountain mine.

Police fired warning shots, and one worker later died in hospital from a gunshot wound to the chest, said union official Virgo Solossa. Local police chief Denny Siregar said eight workers were injured, while seven policemen were wounded by miners throwing stones.

POLICE REINFORCEMENTS

Mine workers burned four trailers after their colleague was killed, according to local television footage seen by Reuters.

"The situation has now cooled down," said Siregar, adding he had now assigned 500-600 police todeal with thousands of workers involved in the demonstration.

Siregar said police had allowed some of the workers to camp outside Gorong Gorong to try and calm the situation.

The gap between worker demands and Freeport over pay still looks wide and talks are currently stalled.

The union has lowered its pay rise demand to between $12.50 and $37 an hour from a initial $17.5 to $43 an hour, but has rejected a 25 percent pay increase offer from a current rate of $1.5 to $3 an hour.

The strike, which had been peaceful, has slashed output, processing and ore shipments from Grasberg.

The mine is in Indonesia's easternmost Papua region, where a simmering separatist movement has led to occasional attacks on mine workers and police in recent years.

Freeport, which has used some contractors to work at Grasberg during the strike, said last week it had scaled up mining and milling output and concentrate sales, but declined to comment further on production Monday.

"We are continuing to work with the local police to deal with these acts of intimidation so that our workers located in Timika can exercise their rights to return to work if they so desire," said spokesman Ramdani Sirait.

An eight-day strike at Grasberg in July led the company to suffer a production loss of 35 million lb (15,876 tonnes) of copper and 60,000 ounces of gold.

The current two-month strike by unionized workers, about half of Freeport's 23,000 Indonesian workers, is the longest stoppage in Indonesia's mining industry.

Miners in other developing nations have walked out this year to demand better pay as corporate profits surged.

Freeport, the world's largest publicly traded copper miner, is also facing a strike at its Corro Verde mine in Peru. Union leaders last week failed to agree on a wage deal that would settle the strike.

REUTERS

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http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/76427/one-dead-from-freeport-clash

4) One dead from Freeport clash

Tue, October 11 2011 01:51 | 100 Views

Timika, Papua (ANTARA News) - A PT Freeport Indonesia employee was fatally shot in a clash between hundreds of police and thousands of the mining company`s workers rallying to demand a pay raise here on Monday.

The fatality was identified as 36-year old underground mining worker Petrus Ayamseba who was among thousands of other PT Freeport workers rallying at Tmikia`s Gorong-Gorong terminal.

A number of the demonstrating workers and police officers were injured in the clash between gun-toting police and rock-thowing demosntrators.

The incident happened after thousands of Freeport employees along with their spouses and children had marched from the All Indonesia Labor Union (SPSI) office at Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan Timika Indah to Gorong-gorong Terminal.

The employee group asks the management to temporarily stop its operation until the strike case is solved and demand for employee salary increase met.

Demand for temporary suspension of PT Freeport operations is contained in one of the Papuan People`s Representative Council (DPRP) and the Papuan People`s Assembly (MRP) recommendation letter at a meeting in Jayapura on Friday (Oct 7).

Employees asked the patrolling police officers to allow them to enter once they have arrived at the Gorong Gorong terminal gate, but the request was denied by the police.

In fact, dozens of police officers with shields blocked the employee mass to enter the terminal.

Witnessing such ready to battle preparation by the police, the mass of employees was triggered to start throwing stones at the officers, and a warning shot was fired.

The warning shots in fact aroused the mass to be more violent by throwing stones at police who took cover behind the terminal gate.

Tear gas that was used by the police to control the rioting mass just escalated the situation.

Mimika Police Chief Adjunct Senior Deny Commissioner Edward Siregar along with Papua Police Mobile Brigade Detachment B commander and PT Freeport Security Task Force Commander Yustanto who were to have a dialog with the mass also became the stone throwing target.

Finally, the police issued to fire live ammunition into a crowd to disperse.

Most of the mass ran out of the scene to take cover from live ammunition fired.

Four cars were reportedly burnt by the mass who chopped down some pine trees to block vehicle access road entering Tembagapura from Portsite Amamapare.

At around 12:00 local time, the joint forces of Mimika Police Mobile Brigade and precinct marched to the vehicle burning site.

Rioting mass then planted a tree fitted with a red and white flag in the middle of conflicting area to separate the police from residents, they also put up tarp tents at the location.

Three local Representative Council members Nurman Karupukaro, Yanes Natkime and Jimmy Erelak then came to the scene to calm the angry crowd.

One resident Arnold Asso regreted the police action that fired PT Freeport employees.

"Police presence in the middle of the people is to protect the people, not to shoot them, it`s just wrong," said Arnold.

He considered, the current PT Freeport clash was the Mimika government`s mistake.

"Police chief and military commander must be deployed today, the local People`s Representative Council must summons Mimika district officers Klemen and Trifena Tinal to solve this problem," Arnold said. (*)

Editor: B Kunto Wibisono

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http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/10/10/journalists-assaulted-freeport-strike.html

5) Journalists assaulted in Freeport strike

The Jakarta Post | Mon, 10/10/2011 10:30 PM

Journalists Duma Tato Sanda from Cahaya Papua and Syahrul from Radar Timika were assaulted by workers of PT Freeport Indonesia while covering an unruly workers’ rally in Timika, Papua, on Monday.

According to tempointeraktif.com, protesters beat up Duma, took his camera and seized his motorcycle. The mob also beat Syahrul over the head and took his camera.

“I told them that I was a journalist covering the demonstration but they just didn’t listen. They beat me up and then took my camera and motorcycle,” he said.

After seizing his property, the demonstrators pelted him with stones. “I was running away when a motorcyclist passed by and gave me a ride,” he said.

Duma said he wanted his attackers taken to court and his property returned.

“I have reported this to the police,” he said.

PT Freeport workers’ association spokesman Julius Parorongan regretted the incident and suggested journalists stay away from the strikers. “The workers are difficult to control now,” he said.

“Things are unpredictable. I don’t want another journalist to become a victim,” he said

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http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/papuas-forests-next-on-the-chopping-block-greenpeace/470732

6) Papua's Forests Next on the Chopping Block: Greenpeace
October 10, 2011

Jayapura. With the forests in Sumatra and Kalimantan continually shrinking, Papua’s timber fields now face a grave threat, a Greenpeace campaigner for the far-flung eastern province said on Monday. 

“Almost nine million hectares of forests in Papua have been identified by the government as expendable in the interest of  development of large scale industries,” Ricarth Tawaru said. 

Ricarth said that land takeovers and clear cutting continued to take place for the development of palm oil plantations, timber estates and mining operations. 

“These activities pose a serious threat to Papua’s forests,” he said. 

Papua was losing an average of 300,000 acres of forest every year, he added. 

“Experience in various other regions shows that the changing of forest areas into palm oil plantations and timber estates has created serious social problems, including environmental problems,” Ricarth said. 

He said that Papua’s forests were not only important for the ecosystem but also important as a source of inspiration. Gradually destroying Papua forests was equal to destroying the sources of the Papuan people’s cultural inspirations. 

“We are concerned about the government’s plan to clear Papuan forests as it could separate the local people from their natural resources. We believe that the Papuan people have noble values to protect their forests and are able to cultivate them for their own future,” he said.