Jayapura – The Papua Police have dispatched 114 police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel to Timika to heighten security ahead of a planned month-long work strike by PT Freeport Indonesia workers from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

The troops were transported by an Airfast plane from Jayapura to Timika and immediately came under the command of Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Bigman Lumban Tobing.

Tobing told reporters at Sentani Airport, before heading to Timika on Wednesday, that police will secure the strike to prevent disturbances and maintain public order.

The police are currently investigating whether a third party was involved in the planned work stoppage.

Besides the troop reinforcements from Jayapura, as many as 100 Brimob personnel from Jakarta arrived in Timika to join 850 personnel from the Indonesian Military (TNI)-police joint task force in Timika to maintain security.

The strike is a follow-up to a previous strike, held from July 4 to July 11, due to talks stalling on the issue of wage increases that were demanded by workers. PT Freeport Indonesia spokesman Ramdani Sirait said the management hopes the talks will resume and that the law gives room to resume the talks.