TNI strives to bring home soldier's body

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua

The military is turning to traditional means after diplomatic channels failed the Papua Military in its efforts to bring back the body of a soldier killed by rebels in a Papua New Guinean village.

Maj. Gen. Nurdin Zainal, chief of the Trikora Military Command overseeing Papua, said here over the weekend that the military had made contact with tribal leaders in Senggi -- an Indonesian village bordering with the PNG village of Cemara where the soldier was killed and buried -- and asked them to send a mission to PNG to bring the soldier's body back home.

"The tribal leaders are expected to be successful because residents of the two villages in the two countries are related," he said. It is hoped that First Sgt. Irfan's body will arrive in the Indonesian village by Oct. 10. for burial.

Cemara is nine kilometers from Senggi.

Indonesia received confirmation of Irfan's death from the PNG authorities, who said the Indonesian soldier had already been buried after being tortured to death by rebels.

Irfan, a member of the Army's Infantry Battalion 132 in North Sumatra, went missing while leading a group of soldiers and a dog to patrol Indonesian villages along the border in the regency on June 28.

He and the dog became separated from the group and were declared missing.

Nurdin explained that the military was arranging the return of the body through tribesmen because PNG authorities claimed they face geographical and financial difficulties in returning Irfan's body.

"PNG authorities said they would have difficulty reaching the village, which is located in a mountainous area far from the capital city of Port Moresby. Besides, they would need 20,000 PNG kinos (US$6,000) for such a mission," he said, adding that the Indonesian Embassy in Port Moresby faced the same constraints.

Asked about how Irfan's body was found, Nurdin said that according to the information he received from the PNG authorities, Irfan was stranded in Cemara after he and the dog were separated from his group.

"Irfan told Cemara residents that he had lost his way in the forest. Then a villager voluntarily led him back to Senggi, but on the way the guide was bitten by the dog and returned home to find another villager to replace him to take Irfan back to the Indonesian village.

"Without a guide, Irfan continued on his way until he was attacked by a group of rebels. His SS-1 rifle was seized and he was tortured to death. His body was buried near a post belonging to members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM)," he said, quoting a note he received from PNG authorities.

He conceded that he did not know whether the story the PNG authorities received from the PNG people was true or not.

"Most importantly, there are still rebels operating along the PNG-Indonesia border," he said, adding that of late there had been four incidents along the boarder allegedly involving rebels.

PNG authorities have agreed to wipe out Indonesian rebels along the border, but so far no strict measures have been taken.

In December last year, a car carrying FX Suyanto, chief of the bilateral forum on border areas who was monitoring the situation along the border, was shot at several times by armed rebels. No fatalities were reported.

Elsye Bonnay, the wife of human rights activist Yohanis Bonay, was shot in Watung village, Jayapura regency, on Dec. 28. Elsye, who suffered serious leg injuries, was on her away with her sister to visit their family in PNG.

The third incident occurred when a car carrying Lt. Col. Daru Cahyo, chief of intelligence at the military command, was shot at by rebels.

The incidents are just three of seven that the National Commission on Human Rights is investigating. The rights body's small team led by Saafroedin Bahar is still in Jayapura to complete its investigation.