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)