Trigger-happy soldier questioned

BANDUNG: Army Chief Gen. R. Hartono said yesterday that last week's killing of 19 people in Irian Jaya was triggered by "personal factors", not a rivalry between the red and green beret forces.

Hartono rejected suggestions that the shooting incident was an indication that the Armed Forces (ABRI) is divided by political interests.

"The speculation is the work of foreigners who don't like ABRI," he said.

He said the red beret Kopassus soldier who killed 19 people in Irian Jaya is still being questioned in Jakarta.

He said Second Lieutenant SNP of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) is being questioned with the help of psychologists to determine his state of mind during the killing spree.

Soldiers from Kostrad, the Army Strategic Reserves Command, don green berets.

The lieutenant killed 11 fellow soldiers and four civilians, including a New Zealand pilot, at the hangar of the Timika airport on April 15. Four more died from their wounds last week.

Hartono said that the Armed Forces is also investigating the deaths of two soldiers reportedly killed by Irian separatist rebels before the soldier opened fire. (17)