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Papuan police accused of abuse

Tensions were high in Papua Province yesterday following deadly protests over a US-owned gold mine, with residents saying some paramilitary police were pulling people from cars and shooting into the air.

Police -- acknowledging several incidents of abuse in the last 24 hours -- said an investigation was being carried out and that any officers found guilty would be punished.

Thursday's demonstration in the provincial capital Jayapura was the most violent in a series against Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc, which operates the world's largest gold mine in Papua's highlands.

Protesters went on a killing spree after gun-toting security forces fired tear gas and swung batons to try to break up their rally, hacking to death three police and an airforce officer.

Twelve people linked to the violence have been arrested, police spokesman Colonel Kartono Wangsadisastra said yesterday.

"They face charges ranging from murder and assault to destruction of public property," he said. "We are still looking for more suspects, and have identified several by name."

He said it appeared that the protesters were not acting on their own.

Though he did not elaborate, the government has hinted that members of a Papuan separatist group may have been involved, trying to manipulate anger over the mine to win support for their independence bid.

Thursday's slayings highlighted the simmering anger among many Papuans over the massive gold mine -- which they say brings no benefit to the local community -- and for the Indonesian security forces.

A decades-long separatist rebellion in the remote province has left more than 100,000 dead, many of them civilians who suffered from mistreatment, starvation and other consequences of the war.

Adding to the tensions, paramilitary police were deployed in the streets on yesterday, with dozens guarding a road that connects Jayapura and the airport.

But residents accused some yesterday of carrying out acts of intimidation, from arbitrarily pulling residents from their cars, to beating them up and shooting in the air.

Wangsadisastra said there had been several reports of abuse.

"We are investigating the incidents and some officers are being questioned," he said, acknowledging that some had apparently acted out of anger over the deaths of their colleagues.

Protesters say that while Freeport's gold mine has earned the New Orleans-based company billions of dollars, the province of Papua remains desperately poor.

Freeport's practice of paying security forces to guard its mine facility has also angered rights activists.

"We hear that rich companies operate in the this province, but life is getting more difficult for me," said Magedelana Aninam, as she sold a meager selection of vegetables in Jayapura's market.

"I have been through this difficult time, and all I want is a life that makes me not tired," she added.

Freeport defends its operation in Papua, saying it pays millions of dollars in taxes each year and funds scores of local projects close to the massive mine.
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