Freeport Indonesia Workers Demand Safety Guarantee

TIMIKA — Hundreds of employees of U.S. mining giant Freeport have demanded guarantees of safety at the world's largest gold mine in eastern Indonesia after the death of two colleagues.

The workers waved banners Saturday outside the office of PT Freeport Indonesia and refused to be transported to the mining site. It was the second day of protests after the death Thursday of two employees traveling in a company car that caught fire, possibly after being shot at by unidentified gunmen.

Ramdani Sirait, a company spokesman, says production at the mine continued as normal. The mine in Indonesia's restive Papua province is run by Arizona-based Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. It has been a target of violence since production began in the 1970s.

source : kompas.com