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Rebels deny Papua mine attack
Staff and wires
TIMIKA, Indonesia -- Separatist groups have denied involvement in a bloody weekend attack on a convoy of international workers near a giant mining operation in the Indonesian province of Papua. In a statement released to media lin early September, the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM) said it had no knowledge of the attack, eschewed violence and was committed to dialogue on independence for the region. The separatists have asked the Indonesian government to hold an independent inquiry into the attack. But Indonesian military at the site of the attack maintain the action -- which killed two Americans and a Indonesian national as well as injuring 10 others -- was the work of a splinter group of the OPM headed by Kelly Kwalik. Indonesia's official Antara news agency reports troops have arrested 15 members of the OPM in relation to the attack which occurred in the remote Tembagapura district of Papua province. It is suspected the attack could be related to unrest concerning the enormous Grasberg copper and gold mine owned and operated by U.S.-based resources house Freeport McMoRan. The mine, situated in the north of the province, has been a focus for resentment among Papuans who oppose Indonesian rule. (Controversial mine) "That was Kelly Kwalik's group, " Indonesian Army chief General Ryamizard Ryacudu told Antara, referring to the attack. Kwalik's splinter group has been accused of kidnapping foreigners in the past, but says it has never targeted them. Breakaway group
In early 1996, a separatist group -- believed to be Kwalik's -- abducted a group of international biologists, including four Britons, two Dutch citizens and a German, and kept them hostage for five months. But security analysts, quoted in the Australian newspaper Tuesday, say evidence was mounting that a hardline breakaway group carried out the attack. Those analysts named rebel leaders Titus Morib and Goliath Tibuni as possible perpetrators. Morib and Tibuni mounted a raid late last year on the town of Illaga, which rebels occupied for three days, engaging in gun battles with Indonesian forces. This group has also been connected with the kidnapping of two Belgians. Adding to suspicions is the fact that the convoy was attacked with M-16 automatic weapons and a rocket launcher, not weapons usually associated with the OPM, who are often restricted to using spears and bows and arrows. 'Provocation'The OPM has fought for a separate nation in the predominantly Melanesian Papua since the former Dutch colony of Western New Guinea became part of Indonesia in 1964. Meanwhile, the pacifist pro-independence Papua Presidium Council has accused the Indonesian military of trying to discredit the separatists by blaming the attack on OPM. It said the rebel group had never targeted foreigners. "It is becoming more and more evident that the Indonesian security forces are involved in creating provocation and instigating violence," the presidium said in a statement released Monday. "An attack on foreign nationals and on Freeport and consequently blaming the OPM is on the one hand an effort to discredit the OPM as a terrorist organization and on the other hand a warning to Freeport that it cannot operate without the protection of the Indonesian army," it said. Political wingThe presidium expressed "its grave sorrow and sincere regret" and called for an international independent team to investigate the case. Others suggest the attack might be related to reports of a looming crackdown by Jakarta on separatist activity in the region. The Australian newspaper reported last week that police had embarked on a 60-day operation aimed at putting the political wing of the independence movement out of business. The dead and injured were working for companies contracted to provide services to the Grasberg mine which employs more than 14,000 people either directly or via contract companies. The conditions of the eight people flown to Townsville hospital in northern Australia are reported to be stable. A statement from Freeport McMoRan released Sunday said Indonesian security forces had provided assurances that the mine facilities and surrounding communities were secure. Copyright 2002 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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