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| Moni man, Papua.
© Survival |
Two Papuans, three police and an army intelligence officer were
killed on the 16th March in Papua in protests demanding the closure of the
giant Freeport gold and copper mine. The protests took place outside a
university in the Papuan capital, Jayapura.
The mine is the largest gold and copper mine in the world, and is run
by the American company Freeport McMoRan. It has devastated the land of
the highland Amungme
tribe, destroying their sacred mountains. Many Amungme have been killed
by Indonesian soldiers defending' the mine. The lowland Kamoro tribe have thousands of tonnes of mining waste pumped into their rivers every day.
The area around the mine is one of the most militarised areas in
Indonesia, and killings, tortures and disappearances have taken place
there. Local people believe the mine's own security personnel have been
involved in these human rights abuses.
