Employees of Freeport-McMoran Mine Assassinated in Papua as Friction over Environmental Impact Escalates

Local police said two men have died inside a burning car on Thursday on their way through the jungle passes to a Freeport-McMoran mine in Papua. This comes a day after two other people were wounded in a shooting near the huge mine in the area, a province with, according to Reuters “a simmering separatist movement”. On Thursday, a spokesperson with Freeport-McMoran said in a statement: “Initial reports from police indicated that the vehicle appears to have been fired upon.” Freeport said production at the mine continued as normal. The police said they would beef up security in the area. “We will scour the area … We can’t underestimate this,” the area’s deputy police chief, Mada Laksanta, told Reuters. The mine is a source of conflict in Papua due to its environmental impact, the low amount revenue going to local Papuans and the legality of payments to Indonesian security forces who help guard the site.]]>