From: Carmel Budiardjo, tapol@gn.apc.org

Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights

3 September 1997

Update on the Situation in Timika, Irian Jaya (West Papua)

The three-member delegation of Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights arrived in Timika on Sunday afternoon, 31 August, and completed its investigation by the end of the day Monday, 1 September. According to local NGO sources, the delegation met with Freeport representatives, government officials, LEMASA and the police. It is not clear whether the delegation interviewed any Freeport employees regarding the auto incident on 20 August. The delegation did not interview church leaders, victims' family members or witnesses to the events of 22 August. The delegation did interview Anton, one of the two Ekari people who survived the 20 August truck incident, in which two other Ekari people were killed.

The Commission has not yet released an official statement.

According to local sources, members of the local indigenous communities living in the Timika area are disappointed with the delegation's visit. They had hoped that the Commission would undertake their request for an overall investigation of the human rights situation there since the Commission's last visit two years ago.

During a two-hour meeting on Monday, Tom Beanal and other members of LEMASA presented the Commission delegation with a statement outlining LEMASA's concerns regarding the human rights situation in and around the Freeport mining area and the environmental impact of the mining operations. A summary translation of this document should be available soon.

LEMASA has put forward a number of suggestions for resolving the long-term conflict between Freeport and local communities and for addressing some of the underlying factors that have contributed to increased tensions in the area. These include:

1) An overall investigation by the National Commission on Human Rights of the human rights situation in and around the Freeport project area, involving the full cooperation of the company; 2) Routine human rights monitoring in the area; 3) A decrease in the level of Indonesian military personnel stationed in the area; 4) Increased transparency and public accountability to local indigenous communities by PT Freeport regarding its work plans, including further elaboration on the second Contract of Work, signed 31 December 1991, for new exploration over a 2.6 million hectare area.

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-- Abigail Abrash

Program Director

Robert F. Kennedy Memorial

Center for Human Rights

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