Two troops face death penalty over arsenal raid
Two troops face death penalty over arsenal raid
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Wamena
At least two of nine soldiers, charged with involvement in
April's deadly raid on the Wamena military district arsenal in
the troubled province of Papua, are threatened with the death
penalty.
Papua's Trikora Military Police commander Col. R. Heri Pramono
said on Friday the two faced the death penalty because they were
engaged in espionage activities and assisted the procurement of
weapons for enemies of the state.
"The case files of the two are still being processed in more
detail," he was quoted by Antara as saying, while accompanying
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu, who visited Papua on
Friday.
Pramono declined to name the two soldiers.
The dossiers of seven other suspects were also submitted to
the province's military court.
Pramono said the trials for the nine charged soldiers would
begin after Indonesian Military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto
issued the endorsement for the tribunal.
Seven of the suspects would only be charged with disciplinary
offenses that led to the raid on the Wamena District Military
Command's arsenal, Pramono said.
They could face at least four years in prison, and all nine
could be discharged from service.
Police believe the raid on the Wamena arsenal on April 4 was
the work of Free Papua Movement (OPM) separatists. They also
suspect it was an inside job, citing the ease with which it was
carried out.
The raid killed two soldiers and one suspected OPM member. The
attackers stole dozens of rifles and thousands of rounds of
ammunition.
The first four suspects are First Maj. Karel Itlay, First Sgt.
Pilemon Pawiko, Chief Corp. Paus Kogoya and First Pvt. Eduardus
Kimirop, whom prosecutors said had failed in their duty.
Two other soldiers, First Sgt. Yarima Mable and Second Corp.
Muhidim Liwan Johari, are charged with deserting their posts at
the time of the attack.
Police also arrested seven alleged OPM members, including one
whom they believe was the mastermind behind the attack.
OPM is fighting a low-level war for independence in the vast,
but sparsely populated province, where poverty is high despite
its rich natural resources.
During the visit to Wamena on Friday, Ryamizard received
support from local tribal leaders to crack down on separatists in
Papua.
They asked the Army chief to send more troops to the regency
to protect local residents from attacks by armed rebels.
"We want our region made safe from troublemaker groups
campaigning for independence. To maintain security in Wamena, we
need reinforcements of regular troops from Papua," said Kubilut
Hubi, a local tribal leader.
In a dialog with Ryamizard, the tribespeople vowed to support
the integrity of the unitary state of Indonesia.