Indonesian police are hunting for the gunmen responsible for a shooting near the Freeport mine in Indonesia's majority-Melanesian Papua province. Nine people were injured in the attack – the latest in a series of violent incidents near the mine.
Authorities are blaming independence fighters, and police had hoped the death of Papuan rebel leader Kelly Kwalik last month would improve security in the area.
But observers say the latest attack reinforces the view that it's not the independence fighters, but police and military that are responsible for the violence.
Presenter: Stephanie March
Speakers: Mindo Pangaribuan, spokesman for Freeport in Indonesia; Peter King, conveynor of the West Papua Project at Sydney University
March: Police say six people were wounded in the shooting ambush near Freeport's massive Grasberg gold and copper mine over the weekend. The company however says at least nine people – including a US citizen and a South African – were hurt when an unidentified armed group attacked a convoy cars and buses heading to the coastal city of Timika from mine site. Mindo Pangaribuan is the spokesman for Freeport in Indonesia.
Pangaribuan: There was a shooting fired at security-escorted convoy at around 6:30 am on Sunday. Because of this shooting incident, nine people were injured. Three required hospitalisation for treatment of injuries that are not life threatening, and the other six were released after treatment of minor injuries.
March: It is the latest in a string of attacks on mine workers in the area. Australian Drew Grant was killed in an attack on the road between Timika and the mine last July. The body of a security officer was also found in the area the following day. Police detained a number of Papuans over the incident, but the investigation is still ongoing. Mr Pangaribuan says there is little the company can do to provide more protection for its workers
Pangaribuan: Certainly Freeport is doing assessment but the authority of security is the security taskforce that formed by the government of Indonesia. They are the one who lead, manage and assess the need of additional security personnel to be deployed in the area, that is done by the Indonesian police.
March: Authorities blame the attacks on Papua on Independence fighters for the attacks. Initially police said the death of rebel leader Kelly Kwalik last month would lead to improved security in the region. But some observers say it's not independence groups – like the OPM – but the military and police that are responsible for the violence. Peter King is the conveynor of the West Papua Project at Sydney University.
King: The evidence is simply that the OPM has never had the military capacity which has been shown by these ambush attacks. It's also clear that the arrests of Papuans has done nothing to stop the attacks.
March: Despite measures being put in place by Indonesia, Dr King says the attacks are the result of a turf war going on between the military and police to retain the right to provide security for the mine.
King: Without trouble in West Papua, the military has difficulty trying to justify the large presence it does have – thousands of troops on the ground. That also has to be regarded as part of the long-term military objective – to keep this very powerful military position they have there, but also this powerful possibility for various kinds of extortion and also for activities for like illegal logging.
March: The Freeport mine sits on some of the world's richest gold reserves and it's one of the top tax payers to the Indonesian government, which is also a minority stake holder. Operations at the Grasberg mine are rarely seriously disrupted by the attacks, and tax revenue continues to flow uninterrupted to the Indonesian Government.
Peter King says while the company probably doesn't like the violence, there is little they can do without support from Jakarta.
King: I think the company is blocked in, I mean it doesn't like it's employees being shot but the mine has very little wiggle room and is there at the courtesy, not only of the Indonesian government, but also the military and police. And this status quo looks as though it could go on for some time unless and resolution would take some firm action from Jakarta, from the top, which so far has not been forthcoming.