The fatality was identified as 36-year old underground mining worker Petrus Ayamseba who was among thousands of other PT Freeport workers rallying at Tmikia`s Gorong-Gorong terminal.
A number of the demonstrating workers and police officers were injured in the clash between gun-toting police and rock-thowing demosntrators.
The incident happened after thousands of Freeport employees along with their spouses and children had marched from the All Indonesia Labor Union (SPSI) office at Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan Timika Indah to Gorong-gorong Terminal.
The employee group asks the management to temporarily stop its operation until the strike case is solved and demand for employee salary increase met.
Demand for temporary suspension of PT Freeport operations is contained in one of the Papuan People`s Representative Council (DPRP) and the Papuan People`s Assembly (MRP) recommendation letter at a meeting in Jayapura on Friday (Oct 7).
Employees asked the patrolling police officers to allow them to enter once they have arrived at the Gorong Gorong terminal gate, but the request was denied by the police.
In fact, dozens of police officers with shields blocked the employee mass to enter the terminal.
Witnessing such ready to battle preparation by the police, the mass of employees was triggered to start throwing stones at the officers, and a warning shot was fired.
The warning shots in fact aroused the mass to be more violent by throwing stones at police who took cover behind the terminal gate.
Tear gas that was used by the police to control the rioting mass just escalated the situation.
Mimika Police Chief Adjunct Senior Deny Commissioner Edward Siregar along with Papua Police Mobile Brigade Detachment B commander and PT Freeport Security Task Force Commander Yustanto who were to have a dialog with the mass also became the stone throwing target.
Finally, the police issued to fire live ammunition into a crowd to disperse.
Most of the mass ran out of the scene to take cover from live ammunition fired.
Four cars were reportedly burnt by the mass who chopped down some pine trees to block vehicle access road entering Tembagapura from Portsite Amamapare.
At around 12:00 local time, the joint forces of Mimika Police Mobile Brigade and precinct marched to the vehicle burning site.
Rioting mass then planted a tree fitted with a red and white flag in the middle of conflicting area to separate the police from residents, they also put up tarp tents at the location.
Three local Representative Council members Nurman Karupukaro, Yanes Natkime and Jimmy Erelak then came to the scene to calm the angry crowd.
One resident Arnold Asso regreted the police action that fired PT Freeport employees.
"Police presence in the middle of the people is to protect the people, not to shoot them, it`s just wrong," said Arnold.
He considered, the current PT Freeport clash was the Mimika government`s mistake.
"Police chief and military commander must be deployed today, the local People`s Representative Council must summons Mimika district officers Klemen and Trifena Tinal to solve this problem," Arnold said. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
