Soldiers wounded in Papua
Nethy Darma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua
Police failed to hold an on-site investigation on Wednesday over the shooting of four Papuan women near the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border after unknown gunmen fired at a joint military- police convoy heading for the shooting site earlier in the morning.
At least two military personnel were wounded in the attack.
Jayapura Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Totok Kasmiarto said that the field investigation had been postponed as "the security situation around the (shooting) site was not conducive".
The police investigating team, led by Sr. Comr. Simamora, and police officers from the National Police Headquarters, were not permitted by local police to enter the site where members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) are believed to be operating for fear they would disturb the ongoing investigation.
Two military personnel -- chief of the intelligence detachment at Trikora Military Command Lt. Col. Daru and his subordinate First Sgr. Krisdianto -- were wounded when an unknown group fired at their vehicle in Waena area, Abepura subdistrict at around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Krisdianto was hit in the right hand by a bullet, while Daru suffered minor injuries to his hand caused by broken glass from the car windows.
They were part of a convoy of security personnel accompanying the police investigating team heading for the Indonesia-PNG border where three Papuan women were shot last week.
Local military spokesman Major G.T. Situmorang immediately blamed the attack on OPM, saying that "OPM leader Mathias Wande had earlier announced that they would attack the military post stationed at the border area on Jan. 1".
No confirmation has been made by the rebels.
"Even though the on-site investigation has been postponed, we will continue to probe the shooting case by questioning witnesses and examining other evidence," Totok said.
Wednesday's investigation was supposed to present three witnesses -- Welem Anasbey, the driver of the four women wounded in the ambush; Maniagasi, an officer assigned at a border lighthouse; and Bob Alwi, a police officer.
Police had collected some evidence in their previous field investigation, including 29 projectiles and nine arrows.
Meanwhile, deputy director of the local office of the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy (Elsham) Allosius Renwarin asserted that the incident was aimed at disturbing the on-going inquiry.
"We believe that the fresh incident was perpetrated by certain groups to disrupt the field inquiry," Allosius said referring to last Saturday's incident when Elsie Rumbiak Bonai and her neighbor were shot in the legs when gunmen ambushed their minibus close to the border between the province and Papua New Guinea.
Yeni Irew Merauje, 35, and Elsie's daughter Marlin were also injured during the incident.
Elsie, 40, is the wife of Johanis G. Bonai, the head of Elsham Papua, which has openly accused the Indonesian Military of carrying out the Aug. 31 ambush near a mining company PT Freeport Indonesia that killed two Americans and one Indonesian.
"We (Elsham) plan to protest to the police if the latest shooting incident affects the investigation into the case," Allosius said on Wednesday.