Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The National Police will take over security at US-owned mining company PT Freeport Indonesia from the military beginning in July, an officer says.

Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Tommy Jacobus said Saturday that while the police would be given the main responsibility for security at the gold and copper mine in Timika, Papua, the Indonesian Military would maintain a presence in the area.

Tommy told The Jakarta Post the shift was based on a 2004 presidential decree on vital sites in the country. Freeport was listed as one of 270 vital sites by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, but is the only one that is not yet handling its internal security independently.

He said some 600 elite Mobile Brigade personnel were receiving "cultural sensitivity" training in Jakarta to help prevent potential clashes with Papuans as a result of cultural misunderstandings.

"For instance, sometimes Papuans stare like they are angry, but that is just their style. So the personnel are being given some cultural understanding of the Papuans before being deployed to Timika," he said.

Tommy said that based on the presidential decree, the police would be deployed on a six-month basis at the mine, with the possibility of their operation being extended if necessary.

The security operation of the military, code-named Copper, ends in July, at which time the police will take over. The police operation will be called Amole, a word from the Amungme tribe meaning "welcome". The six-month operation will be led by Sr. Comr. Robby Kaligis.

Tommy said around 350 military personnel would remain in the area under the police's authority. "Security remains at risk of disturbances by separatist groups, which is why the military personnel are still needed," he said.

Under the new operation, military soldiers will be deployed in areas seen at risk of conflict, while police officers will be assigned to guard the mine itself.

However, this announcement comes a week after the military said it would continue to protect the mine despite allegations of rights abuses against locals. "We have to protect this site because it is not only a state asset but also involves foreign interests," Lt. Col. Siburian, the deputy intelligence director at the Trikora Military Command, which oversees Papua, said during a recent discussion.

He said some 700 military soldiers were guarding Freeport and an additional 350 troops would be deployed to back up the Amole operation, which will involve a total of 1,098 security personnel, including 630 officers from the National Police and 118 from the Papua Police.

Freeport recently came under strong criticism after The New York Times ran a story saying that from 1998 to 2004 the company paid the military and police nearly US$20 million for "security services".

Critics say Freeport needs the police and military to prevent attacks by Papuans opposed to its operations, while the police and military need the company to provide extra income both for their cash-strapped organizations and for individual officers.