Markus Makur, Timika – In a bid to prevent further bombings at copper and gold miner PT Freeport Indonesia, Papua Police on Wednesday disposed of bags suspected to contain explosives near Freeport's power plant and water facilities.
Following a tip, the Mimika Police Mobile Brigade sent a bomb disposal team at 11:30 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. Jakarta time) to the scene to dispose of the bags, placed by a fence at the Smirna Church in the Timika Indah housing complex.
The bomb squad scoured the area for two hours while a patrol team and riot unit were deployed to the scene.
Mimika Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Godhelp C. Mansnembra told reporters Thursday that police received information about the presence of bags which looked like they contained explosives, at a garbage dump near the power generating facility at the residential complex.
However, the bags were found to be empty, except for the identity card of a Canadian citizen.
Police said they believed the bags were stolen and had been discarded at the dump. "The bags were placed against the wall. The perpetrators were likely scared and got rid of them at the garbage dump. This was not a threat because we didn't find any life-threatening items inside," Mansnembra said.
PT Freeport Indonesia has been the target of a flurry of bombings over the past week, from blasts at the Kali Kabur bridge at Mile 39, to a blast at a gas station on Mile 50. A blast also occurred at the main power relay station near Moses Kilangin International Airport in Timika.
Five members of the National Police's forensics laboratory were not allowed to board an Airfast Indonesia flight at the Airport. The airline has been chartered by Freeport. National Police are planning to file a lawsuit against the air charter company, Mansnembra said.
"The officers were returning to Jakarta and carrying with them chemical substances from the scene of the bridge bombing," he said. "They were already seated in the plane when the captain ordered them to disembark."
Mansnembra said the captain's actions violated National Police investigation regulations.
"The forensics officers clearly understood Indonesian civil aviation regulations and had secured the chemical substances," he said. "The captain, however, kept insisting they get off the aircraft."
The forensics officers eventually took a Garuda Indonesia flight back to Jakarta. "If Garuda was willing to let the officers on board with chemical substances, why not Airfast?" Mansnembra said.