[Introductory note by 'Kofi Tubruk': A tribal war has been going on in Banti - which a short distance from Freeport mining operations - since 25 January this year. According to Thomas Wanmang, secretary of LEMASA Council, who was contacted by phone, the war is taking place in an area where there are many security posts. Security personnel, including those from Freeport, are treating the incident as if it were a show, taking photos and filming it on video. He also said that according to reports, a vehicle transporting a person who was wounded in the conflict to hospital was stopped only in order to take a photo of the wounded man. It is even being reported that Freeport buses are being used to transport Dani people from Timika, which is quite a distance away. The men, who probably know nothing about the origins of the conflict, are being given clothes and weapons of war in order to take part in the fighting.]

On 5 February 1997, the LEMASA Council wrote to the governor of Irian Jaya, Yakob Patipi expressing concern at the way the tribal conflict in Banti and Etekini is being handled. The letter reads as follows:

We wish to convey our deep concern at the way the continuing tribal conflict 'tribal war' between Dani and Amungme tribesmen in Banti and Etekini is being handled. As yet, the government - in this case, ABRI, the armed forces - and PT Freeport which is one of the causes of the conflict, have taken no effective measures to resolve the conflict.

As stated by ABRI and reported in the mass mesia, this tribal conflict or war was triggered by the raping of three Dani women by three Amungme men all of whom are employed by Freeport Security. The rapes occurred at Freeport's Security Post IV on 25 January. This led to a tribal war in which seven Dani men and one Amungme were killed.

Since this occurrence, the LEMASA Council in Banti and Timika, along with the Catholic Church and the GKII (the Protestant Church) in Timika and Jayapura have tried to find a solution. While the war was raging in Banti, LEMASA sought the assistance of troops at ABRI 703 command post, to help separate the two sides but the request was turned down. The soldiers said that they were in the area not to protect the people but to protect Freeport. In fact, members of ABRI on duty in the region stood by doing nothing and they even used Freeport vehicles to go and photograph the event. LEMASA also sent a letter to the Vice-President for Community Affairs of Freeport in Tembagapura asking to borrow vehicles to transport LEMASA leaders to Banti and Utekini in order to hold discussions with the two warring sides and to evacuate women and children to get them out of the danger zone but this was also refused.

Out of a sense of frustration on the part of LEMASA, a group of LEMASA supporters attacked the office of the Amungkal Foundation, a creation of Freeport, on 30 January, and destroyed it. On the same day, 30 January, a team to resolve the conflict coordinated by the Mimika district secretary was set up, but since then nothing has changed. LEMASA and the two churches - Catholic and Protestant - were not permitted to take part in resolving the conflict.

According to tribal custom, a problem of this nature can only be handled according to traditional law and formal law. Therefore, LEMASA appointed the Churches - Catholic and Protestant - to act as neutral parties to handle the conflict, but this too has been turned down by ABRI and Freeport.

In view of the fact that the conflict has not been properly dealt with and those dealing with it do not under the very basis of the problem, it has been allowed to drag on. This gives the impression that the government is deliberately ignoring the problem or simply allowing Indonesian citizens in the most easterly province of the Republic to murder and attack each other. The local community is deeply disturbed by all this.

LEMASA is afraid that by allowing this conflict to go unresolved, it will be impossible to prevent the further outbreak and spread of tribal warfare. If this happens, who should be held responsible?

Timika, 5 February 1997

Signed or finger-pinted by:

Tom Beanal, Isorei Negel
Mathias Kelanangame. Isorei Negel
Yopy Magal, Deputy Director Amungin Habel Degey, traditional leade of Ekari/Me people
Murib Team, Dani traditional leader
Bartolemeu Megal, Amungme Naisorei
Yohanes Pinimet, LEMASA Director
Biru Kogoya, Dani traditional leader
Alfus Gwijangge, Nduga traditional leader
Isak Onawame, chair of Klasis of Timika GKII
Lukas Amisim, Amungme Naisorei
Beny Cenewatme,First Deputy Director
Yosefa Alomang, traditional leader
Isak Magal, Dani traditional leader
Father Nato Gobay, Tigaraja parish, Timika

Note: There may be errors in the designation of the signatories. The translator is not familiar with some of the terms used.