Nurfika Osman – The company uniform at the world's largest copper-and-gold mine in Papua is looking decidedly more severe these days.

Amid a spate of roadside ambushes from gunmen over the last few months, employees of PT Freeport Indonesia have started wearing flak jackets and helmets, the company's spokesman said on Friday.

"Employees and drivers who are going to go to Tembagapura from Timika and vice versa are using flak jackets and helmets in order to protect them from harm and to anticipate sudden attacks from gunmen during their trips," Mindo Pangaribuan said, adding that employees on that route are usually transfering logistics equipment to Tembagapura.

The two cities are about 80 kilometers apart and can only be reached overland via the infamously treacherous road linking the mine with Tembagapura.

"We have been employing this security measure since Thursday night and we are going to do this until we think the condition is stable and secure," Mindo said, adding that they were also cooperating with the Papua Police and the Armed Forces to boost protection for their employees.

He said that in addition to wearing the new armor, employees were being escorted by police and soldiers while traveling the dangerous route.

Mindo also said officials were restricting the size of the convoys they are charged with protecting to make them more manageable. "We limit the number of vehicles per trip in order to make the security system more efficient and so the officers can more easily control the convoy," he said.

Separately, Nurhabri, a spokesman for the Papua Police, confirmed that more officers had been dispatched to help secure the employees during transit.

"We are deploying hundreds of police to back up [employees and drivers] as well as to maintain overall security," Nurhabri said, without providing further details on how the troops would be used.

Despite the attacks, he described conditions in Timika and Tembagapura as being "under control."

Authorities initially blamed members of the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM) – who consider Freeport to be a symbol of oppression – for attacks since July 8 that have left three people dead. But there is still no clear evidence that rebels were involved.

Freeport's operations and staff members have been the targets of blockades, bomb attacks and arson since production began at the mine in the 1970s.