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.