Eight military officers in Irian discharged
Eight military officers in Irian discharged
Antara, Jayapura
Irian Jaya's military commander dismissed eight key officers
in Jayapura on Thursday following a series of bloody attacks by
Papuan separatists in the regencies of Jayapura and Puncak Jaya
last week.
The latest assault by the National Liberation Front (TPN), the
armed wing of the self-styled Free Papua Organization (OPM), took
place in Puncak regency's Ilaga village, where the airstrip near
the village had been occupied for almost a week.
Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon, the Trikora Military Command
chief, denied that the dismissal of the officers was related to
the apparent failure of the intelligence services, which has
reportedly been one of the causes of the increased effectiveness
of separatist activities.
Local government officials, however, confirmed that the move
was prompted by the recent TPN onslaught that set several
police/military stations and public facilities ablaze and forced
local citizens to take shelter in a military base.
One of the eight senior officers replaced was the regional
military command's intelligence assistant Infantry Col. Tonny
Armien.
In its counter attack on Ilaga district, the command summoned
troop reinforcements from Timika regency, which were dispatched
by helicopters after a previous delay due to bad weather.
On Wednesday, the entire district was re-occupied by
government troops, who restored public administration and
development activities in Ilaga.
The other officers removed included inspector of the command
Col. Nur Suraji, territorial assistant Col. H. Simanjuntak and
construction chief Col. Endang Sutrisno.
The transfer of posts was conducted in a ceremony behind
closed doors at the regional HQ in Jayapura, which banned
journalists from attending, the first time in over ten years.
Informed sources later said the military commander following
the transfer strongly criticized his assistants for failing to
overcome the separatists, who were far less adequately armed.
Meanwhile, the military managed on Thursday to retake the
Ilaga airport from the rebels without bloodshed.