17 Sep 2002

Papua mine company reveals letter implicating separatists

6:01 pm on 17 September 2002

The Australian newspaper has revealed that the US owned Freeport mine in Papua has received a letter, purportedly from separatists, outlining a planned three month campaign against commercial interests in the province.

The paper says the letter arrived just three days after an attack last month near the mine which killed killed three people, two of them Americans.

It says the letter, also sent to the Indonesian Government, was signed by a hardline OPM commander, Titus Morib, and claimed that the shootings at Freeport are only the beginning.

The OPM has denied any involvement in the killings, and has levelled blame at the Indonesian military. .

Police investigating the ambush-killings have not ruled the involvement of the army.