Jakarta (dpa) – Two Indonesian workers were shot dead Monday near a US-run gold and copper mine in the restive province of Papua, the military said. The victims were employees of a firm contracted by the Indonesian unit of Phoenix-based Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold, Inc, Papuan military commander Major General Erfi Triassunu said. “We're chasing perpetrators but we still don't know who they are,” he told dpa by telephone. Papua, one of the country's poorest provinces despite its abundant natural resources, is the scene of a low-level separatist insurgency. The area around the mine has been a frequent target of attacks largely blamed by authorities on separatist rebels fighting for independence for the mainly Melanesian region since the 1960s. At least 10 people were killed in attacks in the area last year. Three teachers, two of them US citizens, were killed in 2002. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/MBPgR Tags: Indonesia, Mine, Papua New Guinea, Workers Section: East Asia, Oceana
