From: Survival International, survival@gn.apc.org
Subject: Mystery over West Papua deaths deepens

Press Release August 22, 1997

Indonesia: mystery over deaths in West Papua deepens

Contrary to reports in the media, violence is escalating around the Freeport Grasberg Mine, part-owned by Britain's Rio Tinto. West Papuan church sources have told Survival that at least five tribal people are now dead; two shot by the Indonesian military and another three killed in a mysterious incident involving a Freeport vehicle. The police are treating this latter incident as murder.

Rioting in West Papua followed an incident on Wednesday, when four local Ekari tribal people were given a lift in a vehicle. Two were later found dead, with blows to the back of the head. A third person has since died. Despite early denials of involvement by Freeport and Rio Tinto, evidence continues to point to a company employee being involved in the three deaths. In video-taped evidence, the sole survivor of the incident, called Anton, described the driver of the vehicle as being an outsider, with straight hair (unlike the Papuans, whose very name means 'curly hair'). Anton said the suspect was driving a Freeport vehicle. This account flatly contradicts the version put out by Rio Tinto. According to them, one of the victims (who has since died) identified the driver as a local person, with no front teeth. In this version, the suspect was driving an unmarked vehicl e.

Survival now fears the violence will escalate. More Indonesian soldiers and mobile police brigades have arrived in two Hercules transport planes, and are targetting Papuans for brutal attacks. An indigenous church representative today reported his experiences to Survival: 'The military are arresting everyone. They have brutally beaten people in front of my eyes. They are ignoring theoutsiders, just looking for the locals and beating them.' Church sources are now calling on Indonesia's National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) to visit the scene. Distressed relatives, anxious to preserve the evidence, are refusing to bury their dead until after a visit by the NCHR.

Speaking about the three Ekari deaths, Survival's Co-ordinator of Campaigns, Fiona Watson, said, 'Local people believe that a driver of a Freeport vehicle was involved in these murders. Both Freeport and Rio Tinto must take these allegations seriously.' On the military repression, she continued, 'Systematic attacks by the Indonesian military on West Papuan people are never-ending. Survival is today calling on Robin Cook to raise these terrible incidents when he visits Indonesia next Tuesday.' ends

More information: Richard Garside, +44 171 242 1441