Nine more questioned over Timika killings
Nine more questioned over Timika killings
JAKARTA (JP): Military investigators are questioning nine more soldiers over the possibility that they played a role in the recent murder of villagers in Timika, Irian Jaya.
Brig. Gen. Amir Syarifudin, who heads a military team investigating the incidents, said yesterday that the nine soldiers have so far been questioned only as witnesses and none have been detained.
"They will be arrested as suspects only if we have strong evidence of their involvement," Amir was quoted by Antara as saying in the Irian Jaya capital Jayapura.
Amir declined to reveal either the names or the ranks of the nine soldiers.
Late last month, the Armed Forces arrested one second lieutenant and four privates on charges of involvement in the killing of villagers in Timika, which sparked an international outcry.
The killings reportedly occurred in and around the giant copper mining plant of PT Freeport Indonesia.
The military says the shootings occurred during military operations against Free Papua Movement rebels in efforts to safeguard PT Freeport.
There have been varying accounts of the number of people killed. Non-governmental organizations have put the number at 17, the National Commission on Human Rights says 16 died, while the military says 11 died.
The commission, which has conducted its own investigation, said in September that 11 bodies were found outside the Freeport compound and another five inside.
Amir said the suspects will be court-martialled in January next year. So far, military investigators have listed 67 people as witnesses who will testify at the trial, he added.
He acknowledged that language barriers have hampered the investigation as almost none of the tribal people summoned speak the Indonesian language.
Besides, many of the eyewitnesses live deep in the jungle. The investigators have had to cooperate with local priests to track them down, Amir said.
"We guarantee the safety of those who can tell us what they saw in the incidents. People should not be afraid to testify," he said.
Investigators plan to exhume the bodies of two of the victims from a grave in the Agani village before the trial begins. (pan)