Indonesian Police To Reduce Security Presence At Freeport Mine
BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific
February 9, 2009
On 4 February, the state-owned news agency Antara reported that the number of Indonesian National Police (Polri) personnel providing Vital National Installations (Obvitnas) security for PT Freeport Indonesia’s mining operations in Mimika District in Papua will be reduced according to Papua Police Chief Inspector General FX Bagus Ekodanto on 4 February 2009.
Inspector General Ekodanto revealed the information during a speech addressing Amole VI Task Force personnel who had arrived to replace Amole V Task Force personnel at the Kuala Kencana square in Timika.
“We will reduce the amount of Polri personnel deployed for security duties at the Freeport site each year, which is focused on empowering Freeport’s own internal security,” said Ekodanto.
Amole VI Task Force, comprising of 400 personnel -150 personnel from Mimika Sub-district Police, 65 personnel from the Mobile Brigade’s ‘B’ Detachment in Timika and 185 personnel from various district police offices throughout Papua -is commanded by Assistant Senior Commissioner I Nyoman Suarta and is expected to be posted to the mining area for six months.
“We hope that there will only be 200 Polri personnel providing security at the Freeport site in future, with Freeport making up the numbers with their own security company personnel,” said Ekodanto.
Amole VI would be expected to clamp down on illegal mining activities occurring around the site and the theft of equipment and material owned by PT Freeport as well as preventing traditional prospectors from entering the mine site.
PT Freeport Community Relations Vice President Demianus Dimara revealed that, on a daily basis, thousands of traditional prospectors were trying to make a living by searching for gold and silver from mine tailings dumped into the Kabur River.
Freeport and Polri would inform traditional prospectors that no one would be allowed to enter the area between Mile 74 and Banti Village in Tembagapura District which was considered dangerous due to the numerous landslides and traffic accidents occurring along a road surrounded by extremely steep cliffs rising up either side of the Kabur River.
Source: Antara news agency, Jakarta, in Indonesian 0000 gmt 4 Feb 09
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