Separatist fighters kill villagers, take hostages

Separatist fighters kill villagers, take hostages

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): A band of up to 30 separatist
rebels allegedly attacked on Wednesday a transmigration
settlement, killing four residents and injuring four others. They
also took 11 other people hostage.

The rebels entered Moor village in Arso district on Wednesday
afternoon and killed Paino, Prayitno and Bangid with machetes.
Other residents fled the area to seek shelter in various places,
including a palm oil factory.

Another body with slash wounds was found on Thursday morning
in bushes just outside the village. The victim was identified as
Edi Pranoto.

The hostages, who include seven women, were at the health
clinic at Arso transmigration settlement, when the attack
happened. Witnesses said the rebels forced the 11, including the
clinic's nurse, Yolanda, into the forest.

The commander of 433 Battalion, Maj. Saharuddin, believed the
rebels had taken the hostages to Bewani, a village just inside
the border of Papua New Guinea.

There were no other details about the hostage-taking, but the
emptied village was being guarded by security personnel.

Antara reported that acting spokesman of the Trikora Military
Command, Capt. Edy Sulistiadjie, confirmed the attack but did not
provide other details.

Separatism has been a long-standing problem in Irian, the
western part of Papua, and one of Indonesia's hugest provinces,
but resurfaced in even greater force following the resignation of
president Soeharto.

In Jakarta on Thursday, demonstrators from Indonesia's vast
eastern province of Irian Jaya demanded independence in a
peaceful protest. They said they would boycott the upcoming June
7 general election.

About 50 protesters went to the Ministry of Home Affairs,
accusing the central government of neglecting the rich province
and violating human rights there.

Recently, the government discussed a plan to divide Irian Jaya
into three provinces before the elections. Observers, including
Irianese community leaders, protested the plan saying it would
disrupt the proceedings.

The dean of Otto W. Geisler School of Economics, G.M. Satya,
warned on Wednesday that not only was the plan disruptive, it was
also viewed by locals as something that was forced on them by
outsiders.

"The government should realize the elections are now the most
important thing. The government would be better off handling the
aspirations of the Irianese wisely and prudently, because they
have experienced dissatisfaction and injustices for a long time,"
Satya said.

The executive secretary of the Non-governmental Organizations
Cooperation Forum, Budi, spoke of the need to educate the public
about such plans. Religious and tribal leaders, as well as local
intellectuals, youth leaders and politicians, should all be
consulted.

He warned that otherwise the Irianese would be insulted and
think their aspirations had not been heard. "They would then be
apathetic."

Catholic youth leader Willem B. Mabieuw dismissed the planned
division, saying it would never mitigate the suffering of the
Irianese during four decades of intimidation under the Republic
of Indonesia. (34/swe)