19 soldiers questioned over deadly Freeport ambush
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.