21 soldiers quizzed over shooting

R.K. Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

Police in Papua have so far questioned 21 Army soldiers who were on duty during the shooting at giant copper and gold mining company PT Freeport Indonesia compound in Timika on Aug. 31, 2002 but have said the investigation remained inconclusive with no one yet held responsible for the incident.

Meanwhile, the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSHAM) which called for an independent investigation into the case, has conducted its own probe into the incident.

Papua Provincial Police chief Insp. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika who led the police investigation into the case, said the soldiers were questioned to obtain detailed information about the incident because they were in charge of security in the tightly-monitored mining site.

"We questioned the soldiers to get more information on how the incident happened and what they did after the bloody shooting." he told The Jakarta Post by telephone here on Saturday.

He said the questioning of the soldiers was part of the field investigation. He declined to identify the 21 soldiers but said they were not detained.

Besides questioning the soldiers, the police have also conducted an autopsy on the corpse of a tribesman, who was killed when security personnel conducted a sweeping operation at the scene. A number of other witnesses, mostly locals living near the location have also been questioned.

Two Americans and an Indonesian were killed and 15 others were injured when gunmen attacked a bus at the mining site on Aug. 31. All injured victims have recovered after being hospitalized in Darwin, Australia, for several days.

Pastika conceded that the police had not determined which armed group was behind the incident.

"The attack could have been launched by the separatist group led by Kelly Kwalik or the one led by Tadius Yogi," he said, adding the attackers were opposed to Freeport's presence in the province.

He pledged that the police would solve the case as soon as possible.

Asked about the FBI agent's mission in the province, Pastika said he along with a staff member of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta had left.

"They were here to observe the police investigation," he said.

Kelly has denied the local officials' statement that he might be behind the incident.

ELSHAM has called on the government to set up an independent fact-finding team to look into the case.

It said the local security authorities' accusation that the assault was launched by rebels was strange because it was impossible for rebels with out-of-date firearms to enter the mining compound which was tightly guarded by professional soldiers from the Army's special force (Kopassus) and Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad).

The local military had denied any involvement in the death of proindependence Papuan leader Dortheys "Theys" Hiyo Eluway when his body was found in an area bordering with Papua New Guinea on Nov. 11, 2001. However in a further investigation, at least ten members of Kopassus faced trial over their alleged involvement in the murder.

ELSHAM supervisor John Rumbiak said ELSHAM and the Antiviolence Human Rights Foundation (Yamahak) were conducting a joint investigation into the incident.

"We have met with all people who witnessed the incident and asked clarification from Freeport's management on the security system in the mining site to make an analysis on who should be held responsible for the incident," he said on Saturday.