Indonesian mine protestors shot while lying down

Indonesian investigators say some of the anti-mining protesters attacked by police on the island of Sumbawa were lying down when they were shot, reports ABC radio.

Investigators from Indonesia’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) have been sent to the island’s port town of Sape to find out why police opened fire on protesters opposed to mineral exploration being conducted by Sydney-based company Arc Exploration.

They say some of the victims were lying on the ground when they were shot, while others were running away.

Three protesters were killed in the violence on Saturday.

Some protesters have admitted possessing weapons like knives and spears, but there is so far no evidence any of them used their weapons against police who were armed with modern assault rifles.

Arc Exploration has suspended its search for gold in the region until the situation is resolved.

Arc has been locked in a long dispute with anti-mining activists and local farmers, who were calling on the government to revoke its large exploration lease when the riot police moved in on the weekend.

A statement from Arc says that in conjunction with local government, the company has conducted extensive consultation concerning its activities.

It says it recently received positive responses from the local communities and authorities.

But Indonesia’s HRC chairman Ifdhal Kasim says the recent deaths have shown those assurances were ill-founded.

“I think this is not true because in fact many people in this area, people in three districts, still oppose this corporation’s operation in this area,” he said.

There has been no suggestion the company was involved in the violence.