21 soldiers quizzed over shooting

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.