Jayapura, Kompas   7/7-‘98

The Military Commander, Area VIII/Trikora, TNI Major General Amir Sembiring, has formed a fact-finding team for a number of actions which began with rebellious disturbances in several parts of Irian Jaya from 1 July 1998. According to Military Area VIII/Trikora Information Chief Lt. Col. Herry Risdiyanto, on Tuesday (6/7) the team is led by Commandant, Area VIII/Trikora Military Police, Col. Military Police Hendragiri, assisted by the Police and other government agencies.

Irian Jaya Regional Police Chief, Brig. Gen, H Siagian, admitted that had not yet identified an overall network connecting the movements across the various districts where disturbances had occurred. However, according to Siagian, the actions were not spontaneous. The flags with the morning star were the same, the demands in each area were the same, calling for the creation of a self-standing state (negeri sendiri), the State of Papua.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta, a member of the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM), Asmara Nababan expressed the opinion that the case of the shooting of a schoolchild and a university student in Abepura, Irian Jaya, and the death of Sergeant Cl. 2 Dahlan as a result of mob violence in front of a lecture theatre of the Cenderawasih University (Uncen), should clearly be fully investigated. The plenary session of the Commission scheduled for Tuesday (7/7) would be deciding on the matter of sending members of the Commission to that Region.

“We had already intended to return to Irian Jaya to investigate a number of cases of human rights abuses there. But with the occurrence of these latest incidents, we will certainly have on the agenda as well the special investigation of the incidents at Uncen,” added Nababan in response to Kompas enquiries on Monday (6/7) in Jakarta. As reported previously, Nababan and two other members of Komnas HAM had already conducted investigations into human rights abuses in a number of locations in Irian Jaya. But the results of these investigations had yet to be finalised pending similar investigations still to be conducted in other locations which had been requested by the local residents.

Dawn Attack  

Meanwhile in Biak, security forces comprising a Mobile Brigade company from Ambon and one Company C from Biak Sub-Area Command had succeeded in dispersing a crowd of hundreds of people gathered to defend a flag of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) which was taken down at about 6:30am East Indonesia local time after being up for four days.

According to Irian Jaya Regional Police Chief, H. Siagian, about 140 people were forced onto the docks and 40 to the Area Police headquarters for questioning. In these forced movements no one was killed. However a number of people fell casualty to rubber bullets which were used by the troops, said Siagian.

Whereas according to the Miltary Area VIII/Trikora Information Chief there were 24 casualties. Currently 10 people are being nursed in the emergency ward and 14 people in the general ward of the Biak General Regional Public Hospital, said Herry.

“We were forced to resort to firm measures, after a number of efforts at diplomacy had failed. Indeed the Sub-Area military commander (Komandan Korem) had already endeavoured to persuade the crowd to disperse voluntarily. We consider their activities to constitute acts of rebellion (makar) and for this reason they will be liable to prosecution under articles 106 and 107 of the criminal code (KUHP),” said Siagian.

Irian Jaya Regional Police Chief, H. Siagian also announced that the Colt 38 pistol reported missing in the mob beating of Sergeant Cl. 2 Dahlan, intelligence officer of Jayapura Area Police had been returned. When returned through the Chief of Police, Jayapura Area, Lt. Col. J P Silooy, all 6 bullets were still in the pistol, said Siagian.

The academic head (Rektor) of Uncen, Ir Frans Wospakrik, MSc. regretted the mob beating of Sergeant Cl. 2 Dahlan and the shooting of Steven Suripatty, student of the Uncen Law Faculty, and Korina Onim, student of Diaspora Kotaraja Junior Secondary School. Frans supported the decision of the Military Area Commander to investigate both (sic) of these incidents.

The condition of Steven Suripatty, one of the most serious casualties of the shooting by the security forces is still critical.

 (tov/fan)