Three Freeport mine workers killed during ambush in Indonesia

[News_Editor]

Three Freeport mine workers killed during ambush in Indonesia

2011-10-15 07:13:34 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA (BNO NEWS) -- Three mine workers were killed on Friday during an ambush near the Freeport-McMoRan Grasberg mine in the Indonesian province of Papua, police said. It remains unclear who is behind the killings.

The incident happened in the Mimika district of Papua when unidentified gunmen opened fire, killing three Freeport workers instantly and setting the vehicle they were in on fire, Papua Police Public Relations chief Commander Wachoyono told the Jakarta Globe. He added that police are still working to identify the deceased.

A military officer and a Freeport security guard were also shot while they tried to evacuate the victims, the newspaper reported. Both sustained gunshot wounds to the left arm, and the security guard was also hit on his left thigh.

"The perpetrator is still under pursuit," Wachyono said. "We could not identify [the shooters] yet."

This is the second attack on Freeport employees this year. In April, two workers died when their vehicle was shot and set on fire. The perpetrator or perpetrators were never caught.

Friday's ambush came just days after a demonstration of striking Freeport workers took a violent turn. At least seven people were shot on Monday when thousands of mine workers rallied and protested to demand a substantial pay raise. A civilian and a police officer were killed.

Since mid-September, a large number of employees at the mine have been on a strike to demand a salary increase. According to reports, the workers currently earn between $1.5 to $3 an hour. They have since refused a 25 percent increase which had been offered by the company.

In July, a 7-day strike led to company losses of over 15,000 tons of copper and 1,700,971 grams (60,000 ounces) of gold. According to the company, each day of strike causes production decreases by about 3 million pounds of copper and 141,747 grams (5,000 ounces) of gold.

The mine has been linked to regional friction as locals argue that only a small fraction of the mine's revenue goes to the workers and regional development. Furthermore, friction has also been linked to the mine's environmental impact as it is located in what used to be a small equatorial mountain glacier on the high point of Puncak Jaya, Indonesia's highest mountain.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-10-15

[markprotti]

its like there is bad news all over thai .. !