Riots In West Papua

In West Papua a New Orleans based mining company, Freeport McMoRan, has been running a mine that exploits the people and is destroying the ecology of the area. There is a long history of resistance in West Papua as it is occupied by the brutal Indonesian government. In March, a Dani tribesman was knocked over by a car driven by a Freeport employee and he was taken to hospital. His family were denied access to see him and because of this it was thought that he was dead. Six thousand people took to the streets and attacked Freeport offices and facilities in three towns. Later on that month in the capital Jayapura there were riots when a tribal elder, who had been in prison, died. To show their respect for him, a procession was planned to go through the town. The police refused to allow this so people rioted in protest. The mines in West Papua are part owned by the British based Rio Tinto Zinc (RTZ) who are thinking of increasing their stake in the mine from 12 percent to 40 percent. RTZ have a long history of exploitative and ecologically unsound practices, more details of which can be obtained from: Survival International, 11-15 Emerald Street, London WC1 3QL. Telephone: 0171 242 1441.