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.