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.