19 soldiers questioned over deadly Freeport ambush
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Papua Police are questioning 20 witnesses, mostly military personnel, over a deadly ambush against employees of giant gold mining company PT Freeport Indonesia.
Papua Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comm. Josef Iswanto said on Saturday that 19 military personnel and one civilian were being questioned about the incident that occurred on Aug. 31 that killed two Americans and one Indonesian and injured several others.
Josef said that the witnesses were assumed to have some knowledge about the attackers.
"It is possible that the witnesses can become the suspects," Josef was quoted by Antara as saying.
He added that Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika flew to Jakarta on Friday to report the results of the latest investigation to National Police chief Da'i Bachtiar.
He, however, declined to elaborate on the results thus far, nor the identity of a Papuan who was found after the ambush but was determined to have died a day before it transpired. The military claimed he was a rebel and was shot in a gunbattle after the ambush, but an autopsy confirmed that the time of death occurred before.
The Indonesian military still maintains that the separatist Free Papua Organization (OPM) is responsible for the attack on August 31 on a mountain road leading to the American-owned copper and gold mine in Tembagapura, but they have yet to provide evidence or motive.
The attackers sprayed the convoy with automatic weapons, which the OPM is not known to possess. The vehicles were transporting Freeport employees, three people were killed, including two Americans, and 12 were injured.
The Papua-based Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy (Elsham) last week accused the Army of being behind the deadly ambush. The Army acts as Freeport's security in the province.
Elsham also called on the U.S. government to launch its own probe into the killings, in conjunction with Indonesian authorities.
However, the Army flatly denied the allegations. It is now considering a lawsuit against Elsham if they cannot prove their accusations.