JAKARTA - West Papuans fought Indonesian security forces at the copper mining town of Timika yesterday. Buildings were destroyed and a petrol dump attacked forcing the local airport to close, diplomats and industry sources said. Later Timika was reported calm but three people were killed.
The rioting was directed at Freeport Indonesia, a major world copper miner, two days after its Tembagapura township in Irian Jaya's highlands was attacked. Sources warned that the rioting "may start again tomorrow" unless the senior local mine official spoke to the people.
