Wreckage of missing Navy plane found<\/p>\n
WAMENA, Irian Jaya (JP): The wreckage of the ill-fated Navy
\nCassa plane was located in a remote mountainous area of
\nJayawijaya regency on Wednesday with all people aboard found
\ndead.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post correspondent reported from Wamena that
\nthe bodies of the nine passengers (not eleven as earlier
\nreported) had yet to be evacuated due to bad weather and
\ndifficult access to the location, between Palimo and Silimo
\nvillages in the Kurima district, 11,800 feet above sea level.<\/p>\n
The preliminary assumption was that the plane made a turn too
\nearly and crashed into the mountain, but official statements on
\nthe cause of the crash have yet to be made as investigations
\ncontinue.<\/p>\n
The navy plane went missing on Monday while on a flight from
\nthe mining city of Timika in the southwest of Irian Jaya, to
\nJayapura, the capital of the province some 475 kilometers to the
\nnortheast.<\/p>\n
President Abdurrahman Wahid, who was attending a meeting in
\nBandung, expressed condolences to the families of the victims of
\nthe crash after he was told by National Police Chief Gen. Surojo
\nBimantoro that all people on board had perished.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman also led a brief prayer for the victims ahead of
\nthe meeting.<\/p>\n
Irian Jaya governor JP. Salossa instructed on Wednesday that
\nall Irianese fly the Indonesian flag at half-mast for one week
\nfrom Wednesday as an expression of condolence.<\/p>\n
The victims are Irian Jaya Police chief Insp. Gen. FX.
\nSumardi, the provincial Military commander Maj. Gen. Tonny A.
\nRompis, head of the provincial Prosecutors' Office Bismar Mannu,
\nspeaker of provincial legislative council Nathaniel Kaywai, pilot
\nMaj. Sutopo Waluyo, co-pilot First Lt. Dedi Haryanto, adjutant of
\nthe Irian Jaya governor's police Sgt. Maj. Jeheskia Z., and
\nflight technicians First Sgt. Sultan and Ordinary Seaman Gunawan.<\/p>\n
Seven bodies were found in the wreckage of the plane, while
\nthe bodies of Sultan and Gunawan were 'hidden' in the tail of the
\nplane.<\/p>\n
Chief of National Search and Rescue Agency (SAR) operational
\nunit First. Adm. (ret) Sukapdjioto told the Post from Jayapura,
\nthat \"Sumardi's body was found at the front of the plane, while
\nthe remains of chief prosecutor and the two mechanics were in the
\ntail section which fell into a ravine about 75-meters deep.\"<\/p>\n
\"The intense cold of some four to five degree Celsius at the
\nmountainous area plus their injuries made it hard for the victims
\nto survive,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The discovery of the Navy Cassa U-614 was assisted by a report
\nfrom a local child to a Catholic priest living in Silimo, some 15
\nminutes flight from Wamena, that he had seen wreckage of a plane
\non Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n
The priest then reported the news to Wamena-based MAF (Mission
\nAviation Fellowship) Rek William, who conveyed the news to fellow
\npilots Harry Berguis and Thomas Haans, who then flew a helicopter
\nto the location.<\/p>\n
Trikora Military Command Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. K. Ralahalo
\nsaid that two pilots could see a broken wing bearing letters TNI-
\nAL (Indonesian Navy) on it.<\/p>\n
\"They returned to Wamena and reported to the Search and Rescue
\ncommand post what they had seen. Unfortunately the Indonesian Air
\nForce's Bell helicopters had to halt operations due to bad
\nweather,\" Ralahalo said.<\/p>\n
Two platoons of Army have been deployed to the location and
\nwill evacuate the bodies on Thursday (today) to Timika and then
\nto Jayapura.<\/p>\n
Sukapdjioto said that if possible, from Timika the bodies
\nwould be flown straight to Surabaya and Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters after the meeting on Political, Social
\nand Security Affairs in Jakarta, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief
\nWidodo ruled out the possibility that sabotage caused the crash.<\/p>\n
\"We always inspect every plane to assure it is in a good
\ncondition to fly. The ill-fated Navy Cassa had also undergone
\nsuch a clearance,\" Widodo said.<\/p>\n
In a related development, Irianese students grouped in the
\nRevolutionary Papua Students Movement (Gempar) in Yogyakarta
\ncalled on officials not to make rash comments or speculate that
\nsabotage caused the plane crash.<\/p>\n
\"Once Jakarta officials speculate that sabotage was behind the
\ncrash, the soldiers posted in Irian Jaya would translate the
\nspeculation as an order to commit more violence which is against
\nhuman rights,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Records<\/p>\n
Refuting the possibility of human error both Widodo and
\nIndonesian Navy spokesman Commodore Franky Kayhatu said that
\npilot Maj. Sutopo Waluyo, a deputy chief of Squadron 600 and co-
\npilot First Lt. Deddy Haryanto, were both very experienced.<\/p>\n
\"They had been posted in Jayapura, Irian Jaya, for about six
\nyears,\" Widodo said.<\/p>\n
According to military records, Maj. Gen. Tonny A. Rompis was
\nborn in Lembean, Minahasa on June 17, 1948 and was appointed
\nchief of Trikora Military Command on November of last year.<\/p>\n
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Saleh Saaf said on
\nWednesday that the late Irian Jaya Police Chief Insp. Gen. F.X.
\nSoemardi, 52, was one of the best police cadre.<\/p>\n
Born in Yogyakarta, on June 25, 1948, Sumardi had been awarded
\nat least six medals for his loyalty, valor and courage, Saleh
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Attorney General's Office spokesman Muljohardjo
\nsaid that prosecutor Bismar Mannu's body would be buried at the
\ninstitution's cemetery in Cibinong, West Java.<\/p>\n
Born in Bone, South Sulawesi on Oct. 12, 1942, he had served
\nas prosecutor since 1968. Mannu was installed as the office's
\nexpert for a year in 1999 before being assigned to the top post
\nat the Irian Jaya Prosecutor's Office on July 28, 2000.<\/p>\n
The 25-year-old Nathaniel, was a graduate of the school of law
\nat the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. (team)<\/p>",
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