"We hope God would move you to open the access for the interest of many people," the company`s president director and CEO Armando Mahler said in his appeal made in Tembagapura here on Sunday.
He said the impact of the blockade in Mile 27 since October 10 was huge for PT Freeport Indonesia because all logistic supplies to the company`s operation areas come from Amamapare Portsite.
"Since the road was blocked logistic supplies to the areas have declined. If this happens for months the impact will be very serious in the future. If that happens it will affect the contribution of PT Freeport to the state," he said.
He said everyday many containers of logistic, food, medical and other supplies have so far been taken by land from Timika to Tembagapura through the blocked road.
He said due to the blocking aviation turbine (avtur) fuel supply in Mozes Kilangin airport in Timika has run out since Friday (Oct 14) and as a result the airport authority since Saturday (Oct 15) has no longer served avtur to some airline companies providing both commercial service and feeder service to inland areas.
The condition has since Saturday caused Garuda Indonesia to change its flight routes while Merpati Nusantara canceled flight from Makassar to Timika.
As a lot of containers have failed to be brought from the Cargo Dock of Amamapare Portsite ships that carry Freeport containers have also failed to conduct loading and uploading at the port.
He said the Freeport management has referred the blocking problem to the security authorities concerned. "We have talked about it with the security apparatus on hope they could take a stern action to make the road section at Mile 27 immediately opened," he said.
Sharing Armando, PT Freeport`s CAO and vice president`s executive director Sinta Sirait appealed to the All Indonesia Workers Union PT Freeport Working Unit (PUK SPSI) to help open the blockade.
She said since Freeport employees conducted a strike as of September 15 PUK SPSI had expressed full commitment to assuring peaceful and orderly demonstrations.
"We hope for cooperation and help from friends in SPSI
so that the blockade could be immediately opened. While other employees have the right to conduct a strike others also have the right to continue to work. So, it is not allowed to block the road through which other employees go to work," she said.
The blockade on Mile 27 has happened since Monday (Oct 10) following a clash between police and demonstrators at Gorong-gorong Terminal.
Employees that were angry over the death of their fellow, Petrus Ayamiseba after being hit by a live bullet then set a number of trailers carrying PT Freeport containers on fire and blocked a section of the road at Mile 27.
Until now security officials are still negotiating with demonstrators in an effort to make them open the blockade.(*)
Editor: Ruslan Burhani
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
