Markus Makur, Timika – Hundreds of people rallied in Timika, Papua, on Monday in opposition to the trial in Jakarta of seven Papuans charged with the 2002 murders of two American teachers and an Indonesian colleague employed by PT Freeport Indonesia.

Protesters blocked off access for several hours to Freeport's operational area starting at around 1 p.m. The area was eventually cleared at 5 p.m. after the police provided trucks to transport the protesters home.

Earlier in the day, demonstrators gathered in front of the Timika District Court to demand the unconditional release of the seven defendants.

Damaris Onawatme and Vincen Onayame, who organized the rally, said the demonstrators had earlier sent a message to the Central Jakarta District Court, where the seven Papuans are being tried, through the Timika District Court, demanding the release of the defendants.

The organizers said the demonstrators arrived at the court Monday expecting to receive a response to their message. "We came here for an answer to our earlier conveyed demand," Onawatme said.

The demonstrators were met by court official Jhoni Kondolele, who said their demand had been forwarded to Jakarta but there had yet to be a response.

From the court the demonstrators marched to the Freeport compound, handing out leaflets along the way about the deadly 2002 shooting. The leaflets also outlined the demands of the demonstrators, including the release of the seven defendants, the closure of the Freeport mine and the withdrawal of soldiers and police officers from Papua.

Onayame said as long as Freeport continued to operate in Papua, it would remain a source of conflict.

"We will not hesitate to demand that the Indonesian government launch a fair investigation of the 2002 shooting. The incident took place in Freeport's compound. The Papuan people, who own the country's largest stock of natural resources, have been treated unfairly by the US and Indonesia," he said.

Onayame accused Freeport, which is based in the US, of exploiting Papua's natural resources while failing to improve the lives of Papuans. "Moreover, the working contract awarded to Freeport does not benefit the people of Timika," he added.