TNI claims innocence in Papua attack

TNI claims innocence in Papua attack

SORONG, Papua: An Indonesian Military (TNI) team investigating
the ambush on employees of PT Freeport Indonesia in Timika said
they found no evidence of military involvement in the August
incident.

A local military commander Col. MR Saragih told Antara on
Sunday a team of 10 officers from TNI legal affairs, military
police, inspectorate general, intelligence unit and infantry
weaponry concluded that no soldiers were involved in the attack
after collecting accounts from witnesses and facts on the field.

The team has reported the result of the investigation to TNI
Chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, according to Saragih, who
accompanied the team during their fact-finding mission in Papua.

Saragih said the team discovered the attackers, who killed two
Americans and an Indonesian, sprayed bullets which were different
from those used in TNI standard-issue weapons.

"Accusations of TNI involvement in the attack are far from the
reality; so we found on the ground. Those views have been spread
to undermine TNI," Saragih said.

TNI is threatening to file a lawsuit against U.S. daily
Washington Post for its report that linked the military with the
attack. -- Antara