Police, FBI reopen Timika investigation

Police, FBI reopen Timika investigation

Tiarma Siboro and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Papua

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents have returned to
Indonesia to investigate an attack on a convoy of buses in
Timika, Papua, that killed one Indonesian and two American
teachers in August 2002.

Accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L. Boyce,
the FBI agents, identified as James Rhody, Edward Montooth, Brad
Dcardoff, Ronald Euwan, and Thomas O'Connor, met Coordinating
Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono on Friday.

"The meeting was aimed at providing more information so that
we can be more transparent," police detectives' chief Comr. Gen.
Erwin Mappaseng said later.

The FBI agents and Boyce made no comment after the meeting.

In the previous investigation, for some reason the FBI was not
given full access to witnesses and the evidence in the case.

They were required to interview witnesses in the presence of
the Indonesian authorities and were not allowed to bring forensic
evidence back to the U.S. for analysis.

The restrictions made it impossible for the FBI to solve the
case and find the perpetrators of the ambush.

Erwin said the FBI team had brought high-tech equipment with
them, including technology to match DNA, to help with the
investigation.

Meanwhile, National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said the
police would still be in charge of the investigation as the
incident took place in Indonesia.

"They (FBI agents) will work under our supervision. The FBI
will act as a partner, but they will not investigate the case on
their own," he said.

The four-star general pledged that the National Police would
fully cooperate with the FBI in the probe.

The controversy over the Timika ambush came to the fore again
as the U.S. Senate tries to block military aid for Indonesia
after one U.S. official disclosed that the Indonesian Army was
responsible for the ambush.

A Senate committee has reportedly approved an amendment to
prohibit the release of US$600,000 in military training funds for
Indonesia until President George W. Bush certifies that the
Indonesian government will bring to justice those responsible for
the attack.

The amendment is expected to reach the Senate floor this
summer, even though the Bush administration is believed to be
opposed to it.

Besides killing three people, the fatal attack also injured
eight other Americans.

An investigation by the Papua Police concluded earlier that
the Army was behind the incident but the military denied the
allegation and attempted to pin the blame on the poorly armed
Free Papua Organization (OPM) separatist group.

Side bar

Military sues rights groups and dailies

The Trikora Military Command has officially filed a lawsuit
against local rights organization Els-HAM for accusing the Army's
Special Forces (Kopassus) of being involved in the deadly ambush
in Timika, Papua, in August last year.

Trikora Military Commander Maj. Gen. Nurdin Zaenal said he had
decided to sue Els-HAM supervisor John Rumbiak, Els-HAM director
Yohanis G. Bonay, and two Jakarta-based newspapers, Koran Tempo
and Suara Karya.

John Rumbiak, whose wife was injured in an attack by an
unidentified armed group last December, has been accused of
defaming Kopassus as a military unit by telling a press
conference on Sept. 25, 2002, that the much-feared force was
involved in the attack, which claimed three lives.

"The allegation is baseless. We demand that they pay Rp 1
million in material damages and Rp 50 billion in non-material
damages," Nurdin said.

"We have filed lawsuits against Koran Tempo and Suara Karya
because these two newspapers have disseminated inaccurate
information," Nurdin said.

The military commander also demanded that the four issue
public apologies in five national newspapers and four electronic
media outlets.

Meanwhile, Dakris, an official of the Jayapura District Court,
said on Friday that the trial would start as soon as possible.

"The hearing of the case may start next month," Dakris told
reporters on Friday.