Mine Workers Hold Two Bre-X Managers

Miners fearful they won’t get severance pay are holding as hostages two Indonesian mangers for Bre-X Minerals, a Canadian company at the center of a gold-mining scandal, news reports said Tuesday.

The official Antara news agency said the men have been prevented from leaving the Busang mine site on the island of Borneo since Sunday. The Suara Pembaruan newspaper identified them as Idris Za, a personnel manager, and Agus Tripadi, a surveyor.

Police denied reports that the 400 workers had taken the two men hostage. A police official in a nearby town said Idris told him by telephone late Tuesday that the situation was under control.