Eight soldiers implicated in shooting

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: Eight military officers have been implicated in the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old law student during a free speech forum at Cendrawasih University near here on July 3, the head of a military fact-finding team said.

The bullets that killed Steven Surapatty and wounded junior high school student, Korina Onim, came from AK and M-16 rifles carried by eight officers of the Jayapura district military command, Col. Hendra Giri was quoted by Antara as saying yesterday.

Giri said 11 military officers were dispatched to monitor the free speech forum and eight of them carried rifles loaded with live bullets while one carried a rifle with rubber bullets.

"This could change depending upon the results of the ongoing investigation of the eight officers. It is possible that only four of them fired the shots that killed Surapatty," he said.

The shooting took place after students attacked a plainclothes officer they found in their midst.

The officer, Sgt. Dahlan of the Jayapura Police Intelligence Unit, later died in hospital.

Giri said the identities of four students suspected of attacking Dahlan have been submitted to the team.

The fact-finding team was formed by the military but also includes lecturers from Cendrawasih University.

The university has also formed a separate fact-finding team.