Indonesian Troops Massed
in West Papua
By Janine Roberts - >Note.a
story I posted in 1996 - but in 2000 the situation is not yet sorted.
On the 12th April we learnt from sources
inside Indonesia that thousands of assault troops are pouring into
it's Independence-minded eastern province and assembling around the
site of the world's biggest gold mine, owned by US company Freeport
and UK company RTZ. The troops are there to protect it trom local
people, some leaders of whom have called for the mine's closure.
There are 4 million tribal people living in West Papua, in the
world's second largest rainforest. The mine is dumping 120,000 tonnes
of mine waste into rainforest rivers and many locals say this has
damaged their food suplies and health. This province is called by
Indonesia Irian Jaya, although known to many as West Papua.
On the 16th April we learnt that two
soldiers had been killed with machetes in a clash with local people,
and a soldier in the Indonesian army subsequently killed 11 army
officers and a New Zealand helicopter pilot in Timika close to the
mine. The whole region remains very tense.
The Background to the crisis.
This province is the "gold-pot" on
Indonesia. When the US facilitated the 1960s Indonesian takeover of
this former Dutch colony, Indonesia gave an American company,
Freeport, permission to mine a mountain in this province containing
the world's biggest gold deposit, the 3rd biggest copper deposit and
a massive silver deposit. This mine is now Indonesia's largest tax
payer. UK company RTZ is now investing up to US$1.7 billion in its
expansion - making this also the UK's largest investment in SE
Asia.
However this province is the home to 4
million tribesmen, racially distinct from the Indonesians, who have
until recently effectively controlled their own affairs and who never
gave their consent to the Indonesian takeover.
Freeport as part of its deal with the
Government, houses, feeds and transports a military garrison at the
mine. In addition Freeport has its own security force of about 600
men. In 1994 -5 the military garrison was accused of numerous
killings and of using torture to suppress the local population. The
Catholic Bishop documented these cases and they received
international publicity. Freeport then distanced itself from the
military blaming the military for the attrocities.
President Suharto of Indonesia then
attacked Freeport, blaming it for the troubles, and telling it to
improve its relations with the local communty.
Subsequent to this, in February-March 1996
it seems the military "punished" Freeport by withdrawing its military
protection, allowing 6000 locals to wreck mine property in
anti-Freeport riots. Allegations have now surfaced that Government
agents may have provoked the riots.
The Generals supervised meetings between
the Chief Executive of Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc, James R
Moffett, with representatives of the local tribes in which Moffat had
to face the local ire. A key demand of the tribes was that Freeport
acknowledge their rights to control what happens on their tribal
lands. A humbled Moffat promised to bring an answer back to the
tribes within a month - ie by mid April.
The last few days have revealed that the
Indonesian military, having taught the American company its lesson,
are moving back in to try to make sure that the local inhabitants do
not challenge Indonesia's authority.
This development also puts at increased
risk the 11 hostages held by the OPM independence forces since
January 8th - including 2 Dutch and 4 British citizens. If any ill
should by chance occur to them which could be blamed on the OPM, the
OPM will immediately be characterised internationally as a terrorist
organisation. Thus reports that undercover military commando units,
armed with identical weapons to the OPM (so any hostages killed in a
rescue attempt can be blamed on the OPM) are scouting out the jungle
hide-outs are highly alarming.
The bow and arrow armed tribespeople
around the mine site and the townships of Timika and Tembagapura are
now being terrorized by the arrival of thousands of troops. Hercules
aircraft packed with troops are reported to be coming in every day
into Timika airport, which is now closed to civilian use.
The troops coming in include the KOPASSUS
(elite highly trained commandoes). This troops, of ill fame because
of their role in supressing the Timorese, are under the personal
command of President Suharto' son-in-law, Brig-General Prabowo. Also
included in the airlift are troops of the KOSTRAD (the army's
Strategic Command) and the Hasanuddin Regional Command (South
Sulawesi). According to sources close to the military, by 5 April
between 3,000 and 4,000 men had already been dropped in the area.
These combat troops are armed with a variety of weapons including
SPs, M16s and AKs, and are backed up by large quantities of
ammunition and other supplies.
A massive 'show of force' is underway.
Besides the defences set up on the coast with the presence of a
warship, about twelve Air Force helicopters are now based at Timika
airport. Already fitted with bombs, they have been ferrying troops to
various parts of the region in the vicinity of the Freeport mine,
while at the same time keeping an aerial watch on every move being
made by the local people.
Several fighter planes are also based at
Timika airport and are conducting 'training' missions over areas
suspected as being hiding places for 'rioters or rebels' - in
particular up in the mountain regions. In order to defend Timika
Airport from the likelihood of attack, mortars have been set up
around this 'vital' installation.
All hotels and lodging places in Timika
are now occupied by troops. Whereas following the exposures about
human rights, the army refrained from using Freeport vehicles, these
vehicles are once again being freely used by the troops to patrol the
villages and kampungs in the entire region.
According to church and community sources
in Timika, army troops have now been stationed in every single
Freeport security post, from Port Site down on the coast up to
Grasberg in the mountains. Several Freeport employees have complained
about soldiers keeping a close watch on them, in particular the
Irianese employees, at their places of work and also in their living
quarters. 'We are all under a great deal of stress and feel very much
intimidated because the military are watching our every move,' said
one Freeport employee who has worked for the company for more than
ten years.
In addition to being deployed at all
Freeport security posts, hundreds of troops have also been stationed
in a number of villages, in Kwamki Lama, Kwamki Baru, the Central
Timika Market and in all the transmigration sites where local
transmigrants (Amungme, Kamoro, Dani and others) are living alongside
transmigrants from outside Irian Jaya.
'Mysterious' people pop up everywhere, in
the gardens, along the river banks and up in the mountain regions.
They can be seen roaming around all over the place. Day and night,
army trucks full of heavily-armed soldiers are patrolling the roads
and villages around Timika and Tembagapura. In particular they are
keeping watch over the activities of the two most outspoken community
leaders in the region, Tom Beanal, a leader of the Amungme Tribal
Council (LEMASA), and Father Natalis Gobai, Catholic parish priest in
the Tiga Raja parish, gathering whatever information they can about
their whereabouts and activities.
I include below copies of the
very latest communications relayed to us. The first is an internal
Freeport document. <
----------------------
Appendix:
[Received in its original English text]
>From Steve Jones
(A senior Freeport Executive)
Beginning today, the military is planning to do preparatory
exercises for the upcoming meeting between the
Government, Mr Moffet and the locals. Please do not be
alarmed if you see sudden troop movements and troops on
full alert status. These are exercises only and are designed for
the meeting that was promised.
There are many rumors circulating about the closing of
the
airport, operational shutdowns, future planned riot, etc.
These rumors are just that RUMORS. They are FALSE!!
We will communicate with you more specific plans for
the
promised meeting once it has been finalized.
Carmel Budiardjo, a noted Indonesian human rights observer,
commented: If what Freeport says is correct, something truly ironic
and tragic is underway. Why is it that defenceless people who only
want to hold talks with their government and with representatives of
a company that has abused them and, as the Amungme people say,
disemboweled their 'mother' and tortured and murdered their kinfolk,
are now confronted by this massive military force?
TAPOL Report, 13 April 1996 Freeport reponse delivered at
meeting today
The meeting between Freeport Chief Executive Jim-Bob
Moffett and leaders of the tribal people living in the vicinity of
the Freeport copper and gold mine took place in Timika this morning,
Saturday, 13 April from 8 - 10.30am.
Present at the meeting were Moffett and Paul Murphy from
the company, tribal leaders from the Amungme, Ekari, Moni, Dani and
Nduga people, Irian Jaya governor Jacob Pattipi, military commander
Major-General Dunidja and other officials.
The meeting was opened by the Governor who said he was
attending even though he was very ill at present. His opening
statement is said to have been very emotional and tearful.
Moffett then stood up and handed over an envelope with the
company's response to Viktor Beanal, leader of the Amungme people.
The contents of the envelope were not read out and there was no
discussion. In his remarks, Moffett addressed some words to Yosepha
Alomang who had made such an angry contribution at the meeting a
month ago about throwing Moffett out of her 'noke', the traditional
Amungme bag which women carry. He asked her whether she would now
'put him back in her bag', to which she responded that everything
depended on his reply to her people's demands.
(Our Account of
the earlier meeting between Moffat and the Tribal leaders)
Nothing further is know about the meeting except that
there was no discussion about the company's response which were, in
any case, not revealed at the time.
We hope to be able to post the company's response in the
next few days.
Lemasa office in Timika raided
TAPOL Report, 12 April 1996
The office in Timika of the Amungme Tribal Council,
LEMASA, was raided today by armed security forces, while a meeting of
the Council was in progress. Soldiers searched all the rooms, adding
to the sense of intimidation and crisis that has gripped the town
since thousands of troops started moving into the region a week ago
(see earlier report). Further details of the raid are not yet known.
In Jayapura, the offices of several NGOs are being watched
and visited by members of the security forces.
LET THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT KNOW THE WORLD IS
WATCHING.
More
about this mine and human rights violations at its site - killings
and torture.
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