|
JAKARTA, Jan 31 (AFP) - Indonesia's army chief admitted Thursday that soldiers may have been involved in the murder of a Papua separatist leader and pledged action against any who were proven guilty.
"It is true that from the existing testimony there are indications towards that (army involvement) but it does not mean that it is certain," General Endriartono Sutarto said.
"The essence is that we have a high commitment to assist the resolution of this case. If there are any personnel involved, we will act against them," Sutarto was quoted by the Detikcom online news service as saying.
Top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said that several members of the armed forces (TNI) will sit on a national commission to probe the murder of Theys Hiyo Eluay in November.
Yudhoyono said the inclusion of TNI representatives in the commission was decided "so that the investigation is not hindered, because there is a TNI unit being investigated in this case."
Many people in Indonesia's easternmost province Papua, including its police chief, its governor and rights activists, have said there are indications that members of the Kopassus special army force had a role in the murder.
Sutarto said the armed forces headquarters would send a military police team to help investigations but gave no details.
Activists in Papua, which was previously known as Irian Jaya, have called for an independent team to be set up to investigate the killing. After questioning at least seven Kopassus members local police admitted they had hit a dead end in their investigation.
Earlier this month Home Affairs Minister Hari Sabarno promised that the military and police would not be represented on the commission.
Eluay was found murdered on November 11. He had been abducted the previous evening by an unidentified group as he drove home from a Heroes' Day celebration hosted by the Kopassus unit in Jayapura.
Eluay's driver escaped and reported the abduction, which he said was carried out by non-Papuan people. He has since disappeared.
A sporadic low-level armed struggle for independence began after the Dutch ceded control of the territory to Indonesia in 1963.
The province was renamed Papua this month under an autonomy law designed to lessen pressure for independence and which also gives it a much greater share of revenues from natural resources.
|
The Jakarta Post - January 31, 2002]
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Papuan people's hope for a thorough investigation into the apparent murder of proindependence Papua Presidium Council (PDP) Chairman Dortheys "Theys" Hiyo Eluay may have been dashed as the government decided to include the military (TNI) and Police in the proposed investigation team.
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono revealed on Wednesday that President Megawati Soekarnoputri would issue immediately a decree on the proposed establishment of the independent commission that would include both the TNI and the police.
He said the inclusion of the TNI and of the National Police in the commission was to "accommodate the team's requirement should they encounter problems in dealing with the military and police during the investigation."
Besides officials from the military and the police, the investigating commission would also have prominent Papuan members, including religious leaders and several human rights activists from the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in Jakarta and Papua.
Susilo however, declined to reveal the names of the commission members, saying that he was awaiting approval of the President before exposing it to the national and foreign press and the people.
Susilo made the statement only weeks after the government said two weeks ago that both the police and military would be included in the commission.
Both Papuan officials and religious figures have called on the government not to include the military and the police but to appoint independent and credible professionals to carry out the investigation. They are of the opinion that it would be impossible to conduct a fair and objective investigation should the military and the police be included in the commission.
A group of Papuan religious leaders also proposed a number of independent professional activists to carry out the investigation.
The establishment of an independent commission has been proposed after numerous teams from numerous institutions, including the Irian Jaya police failed to fully identify Theys' murderers.
Theys was found dead in his car in Koya Tengah Village near the provincial capital Jayapura -- which is close to the border with Papua New Guinea -- on Nov. 10, 2001, a day after he and his driver Aristoteles Masoka were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen.
The Irian Jaya Police have said the Army's special forces unit in Hammadi, Jayapura, was allegedly involved in the murder but they could not carry out further investigations into the case because servicemen were not under Police jurisdiction which only includes civilian law
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
( Wamena-Jayawijaya, 30 January 2002) (Original Report in Indonesia verion by EL-SHAM,
translation and backgound info by S. Karoba, 1 February 2002.)
Contact Post ELS-HAM Wamena reported a shooting on Tuesday (29/1) at 13. 15 Papua time by a non-organic TNI AD 725 troop in Post sub-disctict Kelela shot Atin Yikwa (15), a secondary school student from Kelela sub-distritc, 35 km south of Wamena town.
The incident originated from two students fighting on one girl (girlfriend), plus one member of TNI 725 AD troop in Kelela. The post of the army is not far fro the school. Hearing the fighting, the army personnel realized the fighting was related to his girldfriend as well. They straightaway fired their guns many times and the students ran away. Atin also ran away with
them, but in fact the army noticed him running, and they shot him. He was shot on his bottom, his friends left him on the ground, as they were scared to be shot. The army brought Atin to local clinic, but his wound was so bad and he was referred to a public hospital in Wamena.
Atin was shot at his left bottom and the bullet was still in his body. He spoke to his family that on the way to Wamena (some 4 hours), the army from 725 threatened him not to tell the truth to the medical staff members or public. He was forced to tell people that his bottom was hit by a rock, not a bullet. At night (29/1) ELS-HAM Wamena tried to contact Atin, but the 725 troops were on guard (high security alert around) and we could not see him. We contacted one of the medical staff members the result of roentgen shows there is a bullet inside his bottom; therefore it
needs operation to take it out.
Meanwhile, Dandim (Army Commander at Regency level) in Wamena Letko.Inf. Dwiatmo Wiharjo when contacted by ELS-HAM Wamena by telephone this afternoon, it was not possible because the person who answered the phone said Mr. Dandim (his title) has gone to hospital to see the victim of the shooting.
The shooting of (15) is one of the proofs of Indonesian military’s brutality in West Papua,
violating all laws and human rights.@
Background:
Kelela is one of the sub-districts of Wamena (Baliem) regency in the highlands of West Papua. It is a village where the Free Papua Movemenet (TPN/OPM) established its first headquarters for highlang in mid-1970.
The war against Indonesia broke up in 1977 (May), when I was about 7, where I witnessed myself. Since we surrendered in 1980, many human rights violations occured in this area and its vicinity. This area is on the black list of the Indonesian army and government. When I visit my own village, Kelela or Indonesia calls it Kelila, I must bring a letter of permit. Interestingly, the army does not ask foreigners about the letter of permit. They pretend as if they do not treat the locals in such a way.
Rumours from the village are coming out from my village that Indonesia has paid Rp 5 million, or about US$5,000 to find me and arrest me. There are 6 persons from my village, whose names are already identified, who were already paid to search me. They have flown to various parts of Indonesia and until today, they have not yet succeeded.
This killing is one of the scenarios to find out others, and me about our whereabouts.
In mid December 2001, intelligence personnel also hit my younger brother, a student at one of the Theology schools in Jakarta. They asked him as if he had any relatives or brothers around to come and help. He replied there was no one around.
=====
Sem Karoba
Spokesperson for International Community
Alliance of Papuan Students for
The Koteka Assembly and WestPaC
http://www.westpapua.org.uk
or http://www.westpapua.net
E-mail: skaroba@yahoo.com
Mobile in Ireland: 087 631 7539
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
