Rights commission finds evidence of Timika killings

Rights commission finds evidence of Timika killings

JAKARTA (JP): An investigating team set up by the National
Commission on Human Rights announced yesterday that it had found
evidence that a number of civilians had been killed in the town
of Timika, Irian Jaya, but said it had not yet determined whether
human rights had been violated.

"The Commission will announce on Friday the results of the
investigation and its conclusion as to whether there have been
violations of human rights in the Timika case," team leader
Marzuki Darusman told The Jakarta Post, yesterday.

The team, set up by the commission last month, concluded on
Saturday its three-day investigation into the alleged murder of
17 civilians by military personnel in copper mining complex of PT
Freeport Indonesia.

"There is evidence to support Bishop Munninghoff's account of
the murder, torture and disappearance of civilians in Timika, as
we have seen bullet cartridges and machetes which the local
people said were used in the killings," Marzuki said.

Marzuki and the other team members Clementino dos Reis Amaral,
Djoko Sugianto, Soegiri and Bambang Suharto returned to Jakarta
on Saturday from their second investigatory trip to Timika. The
team conducted its first investigation early last month.

Marzuki said that, in gathering the evidence, the team had
questioned 40 people, including several eyewitnesses, some of
whom had been directly involved in the clashes.

Other members of the team also confirmed that clashes between
members of the Army and the local people had taken place, but
they stopped short of saying that the bloody incident had
involved violations of the rights of the local people.

"The duty of the team is only to collect data. The conclusion
will be made by all 25 members of the commission," Marzuki said,
adding that the conclusion would meet all legal criteria.

Marzuki lauded the measures taken by the Indonesian Army in
sending its own team to investigate the case and its plan to set
up an officers' honor council to look into the matter. These were
positive steps on the part of the Armed Forces, Marzuki added.

Last week, the Armed Forces Chief of General Affairs Lt. Gen.
Soeyono said that the Army would establish an honor council after
preliminary findings suggested that there might have been
procedural errors in the way in which the local military had
handled the situation in Timika.

According to Marzuki, procedural errors could have been
triggered by the late delivery of logistics and other operational
needs to the troops stationed in the remote Timika.

"Poor logistic supplies to troops stationed in the field are
likely to hamper their operational quality," he said.

He called on the central government to adopt a totally new
approach in its efforts to improve the quality of life of Timika
villagers, adding that most of them are poorly educated.

"Freeport is not the only one operating in the area, there are
dozens other companies, including Jayanti group, forest
concessionaires and suppliers," he said, saying that the Timika
incident should be viewed from broader perspective. (03)

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