AP reported that gunmen shot and wounded 2 employees of US Company Freeport as their bus traveled along a road to the world's largest gold mine in eastern Indonesia.

Mr Agus Rianto spokesman of Police said that the 2 miners were hit when the security escorted bus carrying 60 employees was attacked in restive Papua province.

He said that the sprawling Grasberg mining complex, run by a subsidiary of the Phoenix based Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc has long been a source of tension in Papua, a remote and underdeveloped region that is also home to a low level insurgency seeking independence from the government. The injured men were in stable condition after being taken to a hospital. One was shot in the thigh and arm while the other was hit in the hand and waist.

Mr Rianto said that "A group of unidentified men ambushed Freeport's bus. Police are still searching for the perpetrators who ran into the dense jungle."

He said that Freeport has been targeted by a string of shootings since mid July that have left 3 dead and injured more than 20 people. Police arrested several suspects for earlier ambushes but it is unclear who is behind the violence.

Mr Mindo Pangaribuan spokesman of Freeport's Indonesian said that "The incident will not effected our mining production and operations, and we continue to fully support and cooperate with the police investigation."

(Sourced from Associated Press)