POLICE ARREST EIGHT IN PT FREEPORT BUS TORCHING CASE

Timika, July 21 (ANTARA) -The police have so far arrested eight people in connection with the torching of a bus belonging to PT Freeport Indonesia (FI) at mile 71 and 74, Tembagapura, Papua recently.

The arrested suspects were identified by their initials as
SB (38), a resident of Timika, ST (24),a cooperative employee at Tembagapura, AY (35), an employee of PT FI, TB (24), an employee of Andren group of PT.FI, DB (17), a student, EB (24), a farmer, VB (60), Tsinga tribal chief, and YU (55), a farmer in Hoya, Timika.

During the arrests, the police seized a number of weapons such as arrows and machetes.

The suspects are currently being detained at the Mimika police office at Mile 32, Kuala Kencana, Timika,
Senior Commissioner Bambang Rudi, director of the Papua provincial police's criminal investigation unit, said the police were continuing their investigation into the case.

However, he said the arrested suspects were not linked to the shooting incidents which had killed tree people, including two employees of PT Freeport, at Mile 51-53, between Tembagapura and Timika.

Due to the shootings and bus torching over the past few days in the Tembagapura and Timika areas, US gold and copper mining company PT Freeport Indonesia has forbidden its employees to travel between Tembagapura and Timika in Papua as of Wednesday (July 15) for security reasons.

A PT Freeport spokesman, Mindo Pangaribuan, told ANTARA company employees whose weekly day-off fell on Wednesday and were now resting in Timika had been requested for security reasons to stay in Timika and not to go to Tembagapura.

Those working in Tembagapura where the company's gold and copper mines are located were not allowed to go to Timika for their own safety, he said.

The restriction was imposed following the shootings by unknown armed groups.

To optimize the mining company's operations, employees at Tembagapura had been put on extra working schedules in line with the company's policy.

Several shooting incidents since July 11, have killed three people, namely Drew Nicholas Grant, an Australian who was working for PT Freeport, Markus Rante Allo, a security guard of PT Freeport, and Second Brigadier Marson of the Papua provincial police.