A

nother worker at giant copper mining company PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI), who was wounded in a clash with security officers at Gorong-Gorong bus terminal in Timika, Papua, on Oct. 10, died on Saturday at his home in Kwamki Lama.

The body of the worker, identified as Leo Wandagau, 36, was being kept at the secretariat of PTFI labor union SPSI in Timika on Sunday.

A PTFI worker named Petrus Ayamiseba was shot dead during the clash when the police fired warning shots.

The dispute, which was initially sparked by demands by the workers for a wage increase, has apparently spread. It no longer only concerns PTFI and its workers but now also involves local tribesmen. The clash on Oct. 10 followed a lengthy negotiation process on the part of the company in response to the workers’ demands for a wage increase.

Leo’s family demanded that PT FI took responsibility for his death. “The family has asked PT Freeport Indonesia to accept responsibility for Leo’s death. They further ask Freeport to stop production activities until they settle the issue properly, otherwise the company will have to bear all responsibility for the consequences. That was the family’s demand given to us,” Virgo Solossa, head of PTFI labor union’s organization unit said on Sunday.

According to Virgo, in line with the results of a postmortem examination carried out at Timika General Hospital, Leo’s wound was trivial and not serious as it was no more than 0.5 centimeters in depth. However the family only knew that Leo died after being involved in a clash between the protesting workers and security officers.

“We’ve given the results of the postmortem examination to the family, but they have rather limited understanding of the case and insist that Leo died because he was shot,” Virgo explained.

When asked about the burial, Virgo said he did not know when it would be held. “The family is still discussing about the burial and also demanding compensation from PT Freeport Indonesia. We from SPSI just hope that the company will respond wisely to the family’s demands so as to prevent any further problems,” he said.

Meanwhile, Timika General Hospital director Frans Thio said that Leo was one of several wounded workers treated at the hospital after the clash in Gorong-Gorong.

“Leo was wounded in the upper part of his back and his condition was not critical. The wound was to his muscle tissue but did not endanger his life. After being treated, he was allowed to go home,” Frans said.

“On Oct. 12, Leo was back in the hospital to have a reexamination of his wound. He was declared healthy, but suddenly we received information that he died on Saturday,” he said.

The result of an X-ray on Oct. 10, Frans said, showed that there was nothing left in his body and this had also been explained to his family.

“In order to answer rumors circulating in the public and so as to determine the cause of Leo’s death, a postmortem examination has been conducted, but I have no authority to announce the results,” he added.