Four more civilians named suspects of Flores attack
Four more civilians named suspects of Flores attack
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara
Police here said on Tuesday they had named four more suspects
charged with involvement in last week's deadly protest that
killed four people in Manggarai regency on the eastern island of
Flores.
Manggarai Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Wasiran Robert said the
four brought the number of suspects to 14 people, all civilian
locals.
The police arrested 15 people but released one due to a lack
of evidence. They also seized 11 machetes, six sarongs and 20
pieces of ludung wood, which are believed to have magical powers
against bullets and sharp weapons, along with 12 broken riot
shields as evidence.
They arrested people are believed to have been responsible for
the March 10 attack on a police station in the Manggarai regency
capital, Ruteng. Police fired shots to disperse the crowd,
killing four men and injuring 28.
No police officers were declared suspects in the deaths, but
the district police chief in Ruteng was replaced and interrogated
by a National Police team.
Wasiran said the dossiers on 10 of the civilian suspects were
almost ready for submission to the court.
He said the National Police team has completed its
investigation into the incident and returned to Jakarta, while a
fact-finding team from the East Nusa Tenggara police remained in
Ruteng to continue gathering data.
At least nine middle-ranking officers from the Manggarai
police had been questioned so far by the National Police, Wasiran
said.
Separately, NTT Police chief Brig. Gen. Edward Aritonang said
other officers implicated in the fatal shooting would also be
questioned.
He vowed to investigate the case thoroughly.
Wasiran added the situation in Ruteng had returned to normal
and political parties were able to campaign peacefully.
Wasiran added that 10 victims shot in the attack were still in
a critical condition and needed special medical care at a better-
equipped hospital.
NTT Police had the authority to transfer the seriously wounded
victims to other hospitals, he said.
"I've contacted the NTT Police but they're still awaiting
clearance from the National Police Headquarters in Jakarta," he
said.
Wasiran said the victims would also be questioned as witnesses
when their conditions had improved.
The attackers were mostly coffee growers demanding the release
of seven colleagues arrested for trying to plant coffee in a
protected forest.