TIMIKA, Indonesia (AFP)--Police battled gunmen Wednesday near a
U.S.-owned gold mine in Indonesia's Papua province, and two
officers were wounded, a police source said.
The firefight broke out as police patrolled a road where three
people including an Australian mine technician were killed in
ambushes over the weekend, the source said, requesting
anonymity.
"Two policemen from the Mobile Brigade were wounded after being
shot by unidentified attackers during a patrol prior to a visit of
high-ranking officials," the police source said.
The road links the coastal town of Timika to the massive
Grasberg mine about 65 kilometers to the north. The mine is owned
by the local subsidiary of U.S. giant Freeport McMoran Copper &
Gold Inc. ().
A spokesman for Freeport Indonesia said he had heard reports of
the firefight, but had no further details.
The battle broke out hours after Freeport Indonesia ordered
hundreds of its workers not to travel along the road from Timika to
the mine due to security fears.