Intelligence officer dies as violence escalates in Irian

Intelligence officer dies as violence escalates in Irian

JAKARTA (JP): The police intelligence officer who was beaten
up by student protesters in Jayapura, Irian Jaya, on Friday died
in hospital late on Saturday as fresh violence broke out in Biak,
officials and media reports said yesterday.

In the latest incident yesterday, security forces armed with
rubber bullets opened fire on proindependence protesters,
wounding 24, and arrested a further 180 people in Biak, 500
kilometers northwest of Jayapura, Antara reported.

Jayapura Police chief Lt. Col. J.P. Silooy said on Sunday that
Sgt. Dahlan had died at the Marthen Indey Military Hospital on
Saturday night and that his body was flown back to Jakarta on
Sunday morning.

Dahlan was beaten up after he was caught infiltrating a crowd
of Cendrawasih University students who were holding a
proindependence protest on their campus on Friday.

In the ensuing melee, security personnel opened fire on the
students, seriously wounding two.

Law student Steven Suripatty was shot in the head and is
currently in a critical condition while junior high school
student Korina Onim was hit in her right knee.

Steven was still under intensive care at Jayapura General
Hospital while Korina has been moved to an ordinary ward, a
hospital official told The Jakarta Post by telephone yesterday.

Antara also quoted Silooy as saying that the students had
handed over the gun Dahlan had on his possession when he walked
into the midst of the demonstrating students.

The University's deputy rector Din Dimara said on Saturday
that an independent investigation team would be formed today by a
number of non-governmental organizations grouped together in the
Cooperation Forum.

Meanwhile, yesterday's incident in Biak occurred when security
personnel forcibly dispersed an estimated 700 proindependence
protesters who were raising the Free Papua Movement flag
yesterday morning, Antara reported.

Irian Jaya Police chief Brig. Gen. Hotman Siagian said the
stern measures were taken because the authorities could not
tolerate the wave of secessionist demonstrations that began on
July 2.

"What they (the protesters) have been seeking through the
Jayapura, Biak and Sorong demonstrations is an independent state.
The security forces cannot tolerate that," he said.

The authorities say they have brought the situation in Sorong,
a town 1,080 kilometers northwest of Jayapura, under control
after angry protesters vandalized the local legislative council
buildings and several private and government properties on July
2.

The Trikora Military Command, which oversees security in
Maluku and Irian Jaya, has formed a 13 member team to investigate
the troubles in Jayapura, Biak, and Sorong.

Spokesman for the Trikora Military Command Lt. Col. Herry
Risdiyanto said yesterday that the team would be led by the
regional Military Police chief, Col. Hendra Giri. (byg)