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Jakarta Post

Freeport employees obstruct roads

Workers of mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia blocked a road heading to a mine area in Tembagapura, Mimika regency, Papua, demanding the company’s management take responsibility for recent deadly accidents

The Jakarta Post
Thu, October 2, 2014

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Freeport employees obstruct roads

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orkers of mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia blocked a road heading to a mine area in Tembagapura, Mimika regency, Papua, demanding the company'€™s management take responsibility for recent deadly accidents.

The protesters erected a blue tent in the middle of the road on check point 72, after Ridge Camp, blocking vehicles from entering or leaving the country'€™s largest mining area.

'€œVehicles coming from check point 68 can only reach check point 72,'€ Cornelius, an employee of the company, told The Jakarta Post in Tembagapura on Wednesday.

The protesters also wrote their demands on a banner. '€œ4 Wanagon people, 8 Boton Ore people, 28 underground employees, 4 Grasberg employees. Someone has to be responsible,'€ the banner said.

It was not the first time that Freeport employees had blocked the road to express their demands. In May 2013, for example, they also put a tent on a mine access road following a landslide in Big Gossan that killed 28 employees.

Spokesperson for the Freeport branch of the All-Indonesia Workers Union Federation (SPSI), Juli Parrorongan, said the employees wanted the management to pay attention to work safety as accidents continued to happen in the company.

PT Freeport Indonesia'€™s spokesperson, Daisy Primayanti, said in a press release made available to the Post that it was deplorable that the employees blockaded the road as that day had been scheduled for all employees of the Grasberg open mine to return to work and join a series of safety briefings.

'€œPT Freeport Indonesia management is currently conducting a dialogue with fellow workers to uncover the root of the problem and to look for a solution,'€ Daisy said.

Papua Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw said the blockade at Ridge Camp 72 took place Wednesday at 2:15 p.m. local time by Freeport underground and Grasberg employees.

'€œDespite the blockade, the situation in the company'€™s area remains conducive,'€ Paulus said in Jayapura on Wednesday.

The police, according to Paulus, continued to maintain security and facilitate dialog between the company management and the protesters.

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