Freeport Evacuating Mine Worker Families after Shootings
18 November 2017 19:16 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Timika - U.S. miner Freeport-McMoRan Inc is evacuating spouses and children of workers from its giant Indonesian copper mine after a string of shootings in the area raised security concerns, company sources said.
The move follows efforts by the authorities on Friday to evacuate villages near Freeport’s Grasberg mine in the eastern province of Papua that authorities said had been occupied by armed separatists.
Since August at least 12 people have been injured and two police officers have been killed by gunmen with suspected links to separatist rebels.
Freeport has asked family and household members of its employees to prepare over the weekend for a temporary relocation from the mining town of Tembagapura, about 10 km (6.2 miles) from Grasberg, the sources said. Workers have been asked to stay behind and maintain their work schedule, they said.
Read: Freeport's Gold Mine in Papua Largest in the World
Details of the evacuation or the number of people impacted were not immediately clear. Shots were fired at a light vehicle and two large mining trucks were set on fire at Grasberg on Saturday, one of the sources said.
A spokesman for Freeport Indonesia and Papuan police did not respond to requests for comment on the matter. The sources declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak to media.
Grasberg is the world's second-largest copper mine by volume.
The separatist West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN-OPM) says it is at war with Indonesian authorities and wants to “destroy” Freeport in an effort to gain sovereignty for the region.
TPN-OPM has claimed responsibility for the shootings but denies police allegations it took civilian hostages.
REUTERS
