Kopassus helped attacks by Christian gang: Lawyer
Kopassus helped attacks by Christian gang: Lawyer
The Agence France-Presse, Jakarta
A lawyer for a Christian gang suspected of deadly bombings and
shootings in Maluku province said Wednesday some attacks had been
assisted by special forces soldiers.
He said detained members of the youth gang Coker have admitted
they had waged a series of attacks since 2000, including last
year's blast at a soccer stadium that killed four female athletes
and the sinking of a boat that also killed four.
Both Muslims and Christians died in the stadium bombing.
More than 5,000 people have died in clashes between Muslims
and Christians in Maluku province since 1999. A government-
brokered peace pact was signed in February last year but sporadic
violence has continued.
"During questioning, members of the Coker gang said Kopassus
(special forces) soldiers gave them directives, weapons and bombs
to carry out every attack (last year)," lawyer Christian Rahayaan
told AFP.
The 17 gang members are currently being detained at Brimob
paramilitary police headquarters southeast of Jakarta.
The gang, whose name in Indonesian is short for Cool Guys, has
admitted it had brought almost all the attacks since last year's
peace pact, Rahayaan said, adding the group staged at least 11
bombings since 2000.
"Every explosion and shooting carried out by Coker last year
was facilitated by Kopassus," Rahayaan said.
"It's clear that the unrest in Maluku is the work of
provocateurs. They use the unrest as a pretext to create the
impression that without the military, Maluku won't be safe," he
said.
Maluku military spokesman Maj. Herry Suhardi said the military
would investigate the suspects' alleged admissions.
"It's a one-sided statement. The information about the
involvement of Kopassus needed to be verified," Suhardi said.
"We will enforce the law on anyone if evidence is found."
Seven Kopassus soldiers accused of killing a separatist leader
in Papua province are on trial in a military court.