Elite soldiers withdrawn from Papua

Elite soldiers withdrawn from Papua

Nethy Dharma Somba
The Jakarta Post
Jayapura, Papua

Following increasing allegations of torture and civilian deaths,
the Army withdrew on Wednesday 98 of its 158 elite Special Force
(Kopassus) and Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) soldiers
deployed to crackdown on separatists in Papua.

The remainder have been retasked with persuading rebels to
voluntarily return seven machine guns still outstanding from a
raid on the Jayawijaya Military District arsenal on April 4.

Chief of the Trikora Military Command overseeing Papua, Maj.
Gen. Nurdin Zainal, interviewed in Jayapura on Wednesday, said
the pullout followed a quieting down of rebel activity in areas
considered to be Papua Free Organization (OPM) strongholds.

He said the situation in Wamena, the capital of Jayawijaya
district, was under control. Security in the villages of Kuyawage
and Sinakma was yet to be restored.

He said the military had identified where the remaining
weapons were held and was negotiating to persuade the rebels to
return the arms.

He was not asked to elaborate.

Human rights organizations and religious leaders in the
largely Christian province say at least 16 civilians and rebels
have been killed during the military operation to retrieve the 29
arms stolen in the raid that left two soldiers dead.

Both soldiers and civilians have been implicated in the
attack.

Hundreds of villagers have been forced to seek refuge in
forest areas in the regency amid fears of intimidation and
torture by the soldiers.

The alleged human rights abuses have fueled calls for the
government to set up an independent team to investigate.

Papuan Police have also launched an operation to persuade
rebels to surrender and for locals to drop their support of OPM
in a bid to restore security and order in the country's
easternmost province.

Police claim that dozens of Papuans have surrendered their
arms to the security authorities and declared their loyalty to
Jakarta.

Senior government and military officials say Papua will be the
target of a massive campaign after its war in Aceh to "crush"
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatists ends.