Kerryn Williams
After police attacked a protest outside the Cendrawasih University in the West Papuan capital Jayapura on March 16, several police officers and an Indonesian military intelligence officer were killed. Many students and other citizens, including a five-year-old child, were injured in the conflict and more than 70 people were arrested.
Protesters were demanding the closure of the giant US-owned Freeport gold and copper mine and the withdrawal of the Indonesian military (TNI) and police from West Papua.
Free Papua Movement (OPM) international spokesperson John Ondawame told Radio Australia on March 23 that "It was a peaceful demonstration. They demanded the closure of Freeport mining because of reports it is responsible for human rights abuses, environmental destruction and lack of negotiation with the landowners ... people were angry and this anger had been there for many, many years." Locals are also angry at the huge payments made by Freeport to the Indonesian military to guard Freeport — a role that has increased violence against and harassment of people living near the mine.
According to a March 20 Detik.com report, some NGOs have suggested the violence on March 16 was due to conflict between the TNI and Indonesia's national police over the lucrative business of security provision at the Freeport mine.
Ondawame said the military has been restricting people's movement since the protests and many West Papuans have fled into hiding. A major police operation was launched on March 17 to search for people suspected of involvement in the protests the previous day. Student dormitories were raided and according to the March 18 Jakarta Post, several people were hurt in roadblock checks, including a 10-year-old girl who was shot. The March 18 Australian quoted police spokesperson Kartono Wangsa Disastra as saying, "We will never stop hunting these people who have created havoc and murdered our officers."
In a March 20 statement, the Asia Pacific Solidarity Coalition noted that Indonesian troop deployments have increased this year and that there are now some 40,000-50,000 troops in West Papua. APSOC have demanded an independent investigation into police brutality after the March 16 protest.
Priyo Pribadi from the Indonesian Mining Association told Radio Australia on March 21 that the mining industry is concerned about "investor confidence" after a series of protests at Freeport and other major mines in Indonesia.
In late February, protesters forced a four-day closure of Freeport when they blockaded access roads to defend their right to pan for gold remnants in discarded tailings from the mine.
The West Papuan parliament and legislative review body were scheduled to discuss the crisis at Freeport on March 21, and to consider calling for the mine's contract to be renegotiated so that a greater share of the profits are given back to the community. The meeting was postponed for up to two months.
The March 22 Melbourne Age quoted Freeport opponent Markus Haluk as saying that the debates must be held within two weeks or else "we will mobilise the masses, we will occupy the parliament building". Emphasising the protesters' commitment to the closure of Freeport, he added that "the test for Jakarta is if they want to win Papua's heart or Papua's gold".
The March 23 Jakarta Post reported that the previous day 500 protesters, including West Papuan students, demonstrated in Makassar, South Sulawesi, against Freeport, and that similar protests were held in other Indonesian cities.
From Green Left Weekly, March 29, 2006.
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