[Kabar-Irian] Irian News - 1/18/06 (Part 1 of 2)
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- Lost: the 43 people who just vanished
- Search for refugee boat
- Papuans sail into diplomatic hot water
- Save our souls, plead West Papuans
- Former Timika suspects 'live in fear'
- Timika slayings 'unintentional'
- Three Fateful Days In Timika
- FBI still helping on probe into Timika shooting incident
- The Timika killings
*****************************
Sydney Morning Herald
Lost: the 43 people who just vanished
By Tom Allard
January 18, 2006
More than 40 asylum seekers, including four children, have reportedly gone
missing after they fled the Indonesian province of Papua for Australia
last week in a 25-metre boat.
Australian authorities are scouring the Torres Straits for the vessel,
which was heading for Cape York peninsula, amid fears for the safety of
those on board.
A spokeswoman for the Immigration Department said last night that the
missing reports were being taken seriously.
"Coastwatch surveillance flights in the Torres Straits region have been
adjusted to take account of the reports [of the missing boat]," she said.
Australian activists say nothing has been heard of the boat since it left
Merauke as late as Friday morning. Among the 39 adults reportedly on board
are some of Papua's leading independence activists.
If their boat succeeds in reaching the Australian mainland it will be only
the third vessel carrying asylum seekers to do so since December 2001.
The convener of the Australian West Papuan Association, Louise Byrne, said
the group was forced to flee amid repression by Indonesian authorities of
independence advocates.
"We got the phone call from Merauke at 3am on Friday
saying they had
left," she said. "These are undoubtedly political activists. Their concern
seems to be to preserve their activism. The Indonesian authorities have
been extraordinarily effective in getting rid of people advocating
independence for many years."
Resource-rich Papua has a Melanesian indigenous population and was only
incorporated into Indonesia after a hotly disputed vote in 1969. In recent
months Indonesia has shifted more than 10,000 troops to Papua, leading to
a sharp escalation in tensions.
Unrest has worsened in the past week after 12 alleged Papuan separatists
were arrested for an ambush in 2002 on a bus carrying people looking after
the children of workers from the huge Freeport mine.
One Indonesian and two Americans were killed. Apprehending those
responsible was a condition for the US resuming military ties with
Indonesia, a step taken in November after 13 years.
Papuans have long accused the Indonesian military of orchestrating the
attack.
A report by University of Sydney researchers last year, Genocide in West
Papua?, accused the Indonesian military of murder, rape and the
destruction of villages and livestock in Papua.
The report was rejected by the Indonesian Government.
Ms Byrne said family members of some of Papua's most famous activists were
on board the boat, including the nephew of Thomas Wainggai, Herman. Dr
Wainggai was a Papuan intellectual who died in a Jakarta prison after
advocating independence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Age (Melbourne)
Search for refugee boat
By Clay Lucas
January 18, 2006 - 12:21PM
A boat carrying 43 asylum seekers including four children is
reportedly missing in the Torres Strait, with fears the boat may have
sunk.
The boat's occupants fled the Indonesian province of Papua in the early
hours of Friday morning in a homemade 25-metre boat and were expected to
reach Australian shores by Saturday, but now appear to have been lost.
Coastwatch, the agency responsible for surveillance of Australia's
borders, is searching for the vessel.
"We are flying surveillance flights in the Torres Strait,'' a Coastwatch
spokeswoman said.
"We have adjusted our flights to take into account the news of the boat.
We received information of movements (of the boat) in the Torres Strait,
but no vessel has been sighted.''
The Melbourne-based Australia West Papua Association say they have heard
nothing of the boat's fate since it left Merauke, and that among the
adults on board are some of Papua's leading independence activists.
"These are student leaders,'' said the association's convener Louise Byrne.
"In the last 40 years, every generation of student leaders in West Papua
has been killed, poisoned or exiled somewhere in Indonesia. Students
managed to bring down Soeharto in 1998 these (West Papuan) students are
very experienced political activists, and the Indonesians do not want them
(having an influence).''
Ms Byrne said the Australian Government would only be forced to allow them
to seek asylum if they reached the mainland.
"If they land on any of the Torres Strait islands, the Australian
Government has excised them from our immigration zones, so they can simply
tow them back to West Papua.''
If their boat succeeds in reaching the Australian mainland it will be only
the third vessel carrying asylum seekers to do so since December 2001.
Ms Byrne said the students had built the boat. "They are in a traditional
boat that they built themselves for this journey. There are real fears for
them it's not far across the Torres Strait and they have been gone for
more than five days now.''
Sheer desperation had forced the group to flee Papua, she said: "No one
has come from West Papua in boats before like this, seeking political
asylum.''
She said they were forced to undertake the journey by boat because the
usual means of escaping Papua crossing the border into Papua New Guinea
had become increasingly difficult.
"The border has tightened up a lot in recent times," she told ABC radio.
A Department of Immigration spokesman said the department could not
speculate on what would happen to the boat if it was found. But he said
the department was taking the report of the boat extremely seriously and
was undertaking an extensive search.
"We received reports of possible human movements in the Torres Strait . .
. but no vessel or vessels fitting the description of this report have yet
been sighted,'' he said.
Papua is rich in natural resources and was incorporated into Indonesian
territory in 1969, after a controversial vote.
There is an underground and outlawed separatist movement in the country,
and the Indonesian elite special forces group Kopassus have been accused
many times of brutal crackdowns on independence fighters. The "Morning
Star'' separatist flag cannot be flown in the province.
Indonesia is believed to have shifted more than 10,000 troops to Papua
since late last year, in a bid to curb independence activities.
-- theage.com.au, with AAP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sydney Morning Herald
Papuans sail into diplomatic hot water
By Tom Allard and Mark Forbes
January 19, 2006
More than 40 Indonesian asylum seekers feared lost in the Torres Strait
have reached Australia. However, any bid for asylum they make is likely to
strain relations between Australia and Indonesia.
The boat people, who reportedly fled the troubled Indonesian province of
Papua last week, were found at Cape York yesterday after the Immigration
Department escalated the search for them following revelations in the
Herald they had been missing for at least four days.
It is only the third boat of asylum seekers to reach the mainland in more
than four years. An Indonesian embassy official in Canberra, Dino Kusnadi,
said last night that any bid for political asylum made by the boat people
- believed to be prominent independence activists - would be "baseless".
Yuri Thamrin, a spokesman for Indonesia's Foreign Minister, Hassan
Wirayuda, said it was unclear if those on board were asylum seekers.
Asked if Indonesia would demand their return, he said: "First things
first, we have only scant information. We are concerned about the safety
of the boat and people on board
We are grateful for the co-operation and
co-ordination between the embassy and Australian Government, and will look
into this very carefully."
He said Indonesia was not perfect, but had made "quantum leaps" in
respecting human rights. Asked if Papuans received full human rights, he
said: "I don't know, but in principle this applies across Indonesia."
Immigration officials confirmed the boat was located at about 2pm yesterday.
A customs vessel met the 25-metre traditional outrigger boat, which was
emblazoned with West Papuan independence slogans on its canopy, and police
and officials made contact with the boat people by last night.
The boat reached land near Mapoon, about 40 kilometres north of Weipa on
Cape York's north-western coastline, and its passengers were spotted
walking on the mainland.
The Minister for Immigration, Amanda Vanstone, said yesterday the group
included 30 men, six women and seven children.
She said government officials were considering accommodation for the group.
Asylum seekers have to reach the mainland to be eligible to claim refugee
status after the Federal Government excised Australia's northern islands
from the immigration zone.
A member of the Australian West Papua Association, Nick Chesterfield,
praised the work of the search and rescue teams, saying they had done a
"fantastic job" to find the boat amid fears for the safety of the
passengers.
He urged the Government not to send the asylum-seekers back to Papua. They
were independence activists who would likely meet the fate of so many of
their predecessors, he said. "The Indonesian military would not hesitate
to kill them."
Papuan separatists have been pushing for independence for decades and in
recent months tensions between them and the Indonesian Government have
escalated. About 10,000 troops have been deployed there and the arrest of
12 separatists last week provoked protests in Papuan cities and towns.
Papuan Police yesterday denied there were security problems in the
province and said it was a "fabrication" to suggest people were unsafe
there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Australian
Save our souls, plead West Papuans
Ian Gerard, Mapoon
January 19, 2006
More than 40 West Papuan asylum-seekers, who fled the troubled Indonesian
province in a large outrigger canoe six days ago, landed on a remote beach
in far north Queensland yesterday.
The landing raises questions about Australia's border security and is set
to test relations with Indonesia. The boat, carrying some of West Papua's
most outspoken independence activists, landed at the Janey Creek campsite,
north of the Aboriginal community of Mapoon.
The 25m traditional dugout canoe was fitted with an outboard motor and was
flying the outlawed West Papuan flag.
"Save West Papua people soul from genocide intimidation and terorist from
military government of Indonesian," a crudely worded banner on the boat
read. "Also we West Papuan need freedom peace love and justice in our home
land."
Immigration officers were interviewing the 36 adults and seven children
last night, having moved them by four-wheel-drive to Cullen Point, then by
bus to Weipa, where they were to be held overnight. The West Papuans - who
had earlier huddled under a tree on the beach and were said by police to
be scared - are only the third boatload of asylum-seekers to land on
mainland Australia in four years.
Australia West Papua Association convenor Louise Byrne said the
asylum-seekers left Merauke in West Papua for Cape York last Friday and
fears had been raised yesterday that they had been lost at sea.
The asylum-seekers, faced with increasing political tension in West Papua
and the overwhelming strength of the Indonesian military, had fled the
troubled province rather than risk being jailed and tortured for their
knowledge of government affairs, Ms Byrne said.
"I would expect the Australian Government to recognise these people as
political refugees," she said. "This is a generation of West Papuan
leaders and ... they would have done it with full-scale community
approval."
An Indonesian embassy spokesman said the activists were not persecuted and
his Government did not believe they had grounds for asylum. "The grounds
for requesting asylum for these people are baseless."
Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone said she was pleased the boat had
been found, given the concerns for its occupants.
Senator Vanstone said the 30 males, six females and seven children had
co-operated with officials. "There was an initial concern that four of the
males had left the main group, but they were subsequently located ... and
returned," she said.
Senator Vanstone made no mention of the request for asylum, nor the
association's demands that the boatpeople not be placed in detention or be
represented by government lawyers in their asylum bid.
The asylum-seekers are believed to include Herman Wanggai, a student
leader from West Papua who had spent time in prison for treason, his wife
and their three-year-old twins.
"He has been one of the strongest and clearest student leaders in the past
12 years," Ms Byrne said.
Immigration Department spokesman Clayton Boundey said the boat had been
spotted by Coastwatch crews about 2pm on western Cape York.
The group was last night taken by bus from Mapoon to the mining town of
Weipa.
Seven Indonesians, who claim to be from West Timor, remain in detention on
Christmas Island awaiting a decision on their request for asylum. They had
travelled by boat and landed near the remote West Australian Aboriginal
community of Kalumburu in November.
Unlike independent East Timor, West Timor remains a part of Indonesia,
with West Papua.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said recently that the
country's relations with Australia had improved since East Timor achieved
independence, partly because Australia recognised Papua "as part of the
unitary state of Indonesia".
Ms Byrne said the West Papuans, a mixture of independence activists,
students and their families, had been in a boat that would have been
easily spotted from the air.
"They are pretty sea-savvy and the boat is good," Ms Byrne said. "It is
very seaworthy and there are some good island people there from the north
coast who are very fantastic sailors."
Mr Boundey said it was not unusual for DIMIA to receive reports of boats
headed for the Torres Strait from Papau New Guinea and Indonesian West
Papua.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
National News
January 17, 2006
Former Timika suspects 'live in fear'
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura
Four Timika residents arrested by Papua Police over the killing of two
American teachers and their Indonesian colleague continue to live in fear,
despite being released after it became clear they had no connection to the
murders.
The four -- Dominikus "Domi" Mom, Germanus Magal, Markus Kelebetme and
Victus Wanmang -- are still in Jayapura, the capital of Papua, fearing
they will be killed by relatives of the eight suspects in the murders if
they return to Timika. The four men and the eight suspects are all members
of the Amungme tribe.
Papuan feminist Yosepha Alomang, who is also an Amungme tribal leader,
said the fear was based on tribal culture. According to Amungme culture,
the 12 people, who left their hometown together, must all return to Timika
together.
"In Amungme culture, if five people leave a house together, all five
should return together to the house. If they fail to do so, they might be
accused of betraying their friends.
"In this case, the 12 left their village for Jayapura and, based on our
culture, the four might be accused of being spies and be killed," said
Yosepha, a recipient of the Yap Thiam Hien human rights award and The
Goldman environment prize, in Jayapura.
The four released men are currently staying at the Institute for Human
Rights Study and Advocacy for West Papua (Els-Ham) in Jayapura, while
Yosepha speaks with the eight suspects' families to help them understand
the country's legal procedures, according to Paula Makabori, Els-Ham's
coordinator in Timika.
In an operation last Wednesday involving officers from the U.S. Federal
Bureau of Investigation, Antonius Wamang, the main suspect in the
killings, and 11 other suspected members of the separatist Free Papua
Movement were arrested. Eight of the 12, including Wamang, have officially
been named suspects in the killings, which took place in August, 2002.
The eight were flown to Jakarta on Saturday for further questioning.
Meanwhile, angry that the eight suspects were transported to Jakarta
without their families first being notified, relatives of the suspects
have returned Jayapura-to-Jakarta airline tickets provided by Papua Police
chief Insp. Gen. Tomy Tider Jacobus.
"The police said the eight people's departure would be transparent, but it
turned out they were quietly taken by helicopter to Sentani without their
families or legal representatives being informed. We were lied to and that
is why we gave the tickets back," Yosepha said.
A lawyer for one of the suspects, Piet Ell, said he planned to file a
lawsuit against the Papua Police chief for unlawful arrest.
"They were arrested without a warrant. The warrant was issued by the Papua
Police a day after the arrests," he claimed in Jayapura.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
Headline News
January 17, 2006
Timika slayings 'unintentional'
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The 2002 killings of an Indonesian and two American teachers in Papua
province was caused by local separatist soldiers firing on civilians by
mistake, National Police chief Gen. Sutanto said here Monday.
He made the statement after accompanying American Patsy Spier, the widow
of victim Rickey Lynn Spier, in a Monday meeting with President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono at the State Palace.
After questioning 12 suspects arrested last week in connection with the
attack, Sutanto said there was no evidence the Indonesian Military (TNI)
had been involved, despite the claims of activists here and abroad.
That speculation focused on an earlier claim by a key suspect that a group
of men wearing military uniforms was seen at the scene. Human rights
groups have blamed security forces for the killings, saying a dispute
between Timika-based U.S. mining company PT Freeport Indonesia and the
military led to the shooting.
With the release of four of the 12 Papuans, Sutanto said the police were
now looking for another four men and their leader, Free Papua Movement
(OPM) fugitive Kelly Kwalik.
Sutanto said the group was believed to be still in the remote Timika area
where the attack took place, in the vicinity of PT Freeport's gold mine.
"They were ordered by OPM rebels to cause disruptions to military
personnel, police and state infrastructure there," Sutanto said.
Sutanto said at the time of the attack, the suspects planned to open fire
on a convoy of vehicles transporting TNI soldiers.
"(But) they weren't ready to fire when the vehicle that carried the
soldiers passed by. They then attacked the following vehicle, which turned
out to be carrying the teachers, after they mistook them for soldiers,"
Sutanto said.
Albert Rumbekwan, a lawyer for the suspects, said the eight men were
definitely OPM members. "They had been ordered by OPM leader Kelly Kwalik
to attack TNI members near the location," he said.
"They were not prepared to shoot when the first car passed by, so they
shot at the following vehicle."
Albert said he believed the shootings were meant to frighten the TNI.
In cooperation with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the
police arrested 12 Papuans last week, including Anthonius Wamang, who was
indicted by a U.S. grand jury in 2004 for the murder. Four were later
released.
Sutanto said the other evidence the police had included OPM documents
ordering the attack, testimonies from Indonesian and American witnesses,
the statements of suspects, and laboratory tests on bullets.
The suspects will be tried at the Central Jakarta District Court for
ownership of illegal arms and actions resulting in death.
Sutanto said police would now prosecute the high-profile case without the
involvement of external parties, including the FBI.
"That's how the Indonesian legal system works," he said.
A survivor of the attack, Patsy Spier, who has returned to Indonesia at
the request of the police, said she wanted the FBI to be included in
further interviews.
"Such a process should include our FBI investigators ... as the
international community would be assured that a transparent and credible
trial will bring those responsible to justice in a manner consistent with
international standards," she said.
In the 2002 Bali bombings, Indonesian and Australian police cooperated all
the way to the trial of the bombers.
Presidential spokesman Dino Pati Djalal said President Susilo, who first
met Spier in Washington last May, expected to see a speedy and transparent
legal process.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paras Indonesia (former Laksamana)
January, 17 2006 @ 11:33 pm
Three Fateful Days In Timika
By: Hans Gebze
The following is the chronology around the arrest of the 12 men allegedly
involved in the August 2002 killing of two Americans and one Indonesian in
the Freeport mine area Mile 62 63, Timika. The information was gathered
from witnesses of the events as well as from the men captured.
January 10: At 7pm Papua time, two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents,
who said their names were Paul Myers and Ron Eiowan, met with Amungme
leaders and witnesses of the Mile 62-63 shooting. The meeting was mediated
by Willy Mandowen (moderator of the Papuan Council Presidium) and Eltinus
Uamang (Amungme youth leader) and held in Hotel Amole II, Timika, Papua.
January 11: At 8pm, the FBI agents again met with the witnesses and
sealing a deal which would fly key witness Antonius Wanmang to the United
States along with several Free Papua Movement (OPM) fighters to testify on
the mystery of the shooting of civilians at the Freeport mine area on
August 31, 2002. At 10.30pm, the meeting was ended and the agents left the
building, headed for Timika Kota. Just minutes later, joint taskforce of
police surrounded and arrested the delegation members. At 11pm, 12 of the
men were pushed into a box van and driven off to Mile 32, Kuala Kencana
Police Station, Timika.
January 12: From 12am - 7.05am, police interrogated the 12 men. From 7.05
- 7.40am, police released four men and took the remaining eight to the
Timika airport to be flown to Jayapura. At 8am, Garuda flight took off and
landed in Sentani Airport, Jayapura at 8.55am. Mobile brigades officers in
two armored vehicles then rushed the eight men to the Jayapura Police
Headquarters 60km away.
Around the Three Days
Before the arrest, the FBI agents came to Timika and met with a number of
Amungme community leaders and started the reinvestigation on the killing
of two US civilians in Mile 63 (Freeport mine area) which occurred on
August 31, 2002. The Feds approached Reverend Isaak Ondowame through Willy
Mandowen of the Papuan Council Presidium and youth leader Eltinus Uamang.
The reverend said the FBI promised to investigate key witness Antonius
Wanmang and a number of OPM fighters in the US. They also said that the
trial would be open and fair. The reverend, Wanmang, Germanus Ondowame and
Dominikus Kwalik agreed with the terms and met again with the agents on
the night they were captured on January 11.
After the 12 men were arrested from Hotel Amole II, family members of
Reverend Isaak Ondowame contacted friends and colleagues to go after the
police and find out what was happening. Five men, including a Mimika
church leader and an Amungme community leader, left the reverends house
at 11.30pm and headed for the Kuala Kencana Police Station where it was
packed with cars and armed mobile brigade officers guarding the
interrogation process. The interrogation itself paused briefly but
continued on until 7.05am.
The eight men arrested are: Anthonius Wamang (32), Reverend Ishak Onawame
(42), Hardi Tsugumol (29), Agustinus Anggaibak (14), Jairus Kibak (60),
Esau Onawame (33), Yulianus Deikme (20), and Yohanes Kasamol alias Joni
(15). If Joni and Anggaibak were indeed involved in the 2002 shooting,
they would have been only 10 and 9 years old.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
National News
January 18, 2006
FBI still helping on probe into Timika shooting incident
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The National Police will continue to involve the FBI in resolving the 2002
killings of one Indonesian and two American teachers in Timika, Papua --
but agents won't be allowed to question the suspects.
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam said the FBI
agents would not be allowed to directly interrogate suspects in the case
but would continue to be informed of developments.
"In the investigation we are cooperating with the FBI and providing them
information related to the case," he said at Police Headquarters in
Jakarta.
Police earlier confirmed that FBI agents had given them information that
led to the arrest of 12 Papuans suspected of involvement in the attack
near the Grasberg Mine of PT Freeport Indonesia in Timika.
"We are aware of their more sophisticated technology (in criminal
investigations)," Anton said. In comparison police in Papua had a poor
communications and transportation system, he said.
Anton stressed the authority to investigate the incident was still in the
hands of the National Police, and not the FBI.
"The crime took place in Indonesia and it is our duty to investigate it."
"We are involving (FBI agents) in the matter just to get relevant
information."
It is not the first time Indonesia has involved foreign security forces in
criminal investigations. In 2002, the Australian Federal Police helped
their Indonesian counterparts investigate the first Bali bombings that
killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
Also on Tuesday, Patsy Spier, a survivor of the shooting and the wife of
one of the Americans killed in the attack, appeared at the National Police
headquarters to give her eye-witness testimony.
Spier earlier met President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Monday, asking him to
ensure the FBI was involved in further investigations into the incident to
ensure a transparent and credible process. In earlier statements Spier has
said she believed the Indonesian Military could be involved in the attack.
The police are detaining eight suspects in Jakarta -- among the 12 Papuans
who were originally arrested in Jayapura for their alleged roles in the
shooting.
Four of the suspects were later freed because police lacked sufficient
evidence to charge them.
One Indonesian and two American teachers were killed and 12 other
passengers, including Spier, were injured when their convoy was attacked
by gunmen on Aug. 31, 2002. The teachers worked for the American-owned
Freeport mine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
Editorial
January 18, 2006
The Timika killings
An American teacher has survived a traumatic experience in Papua in which
her husband was killed, and has returned here in a bid to speed up the
search for justice for herself and the other victims of the shooting
incident in 2002.
The calm words of Patsy Spier, however, belie any sign of frustration that
she and the other victims and their families may have in that search:
"Pursuing this case is in both our countries' interests," she said after
meeting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday.
That "case" -- the ambush and fatal shooting of one Indonesian and two
American employees of PT Freeport Indonesia -- has been one of the few
remaining impediments to the full restoration of military ties between
Indonesia and the United States. Developments in this case were also the
sole reason for the significant progress in improving relations between
the two countries. Having convinced Congress that Indonesia was
cooperating with U.S. investigators in the search for the perpetrators,
Washington restarted a training program for Indonesian Military (TNI)
officers in February last year. By November, despite lingering
congressional concerns about resuming full military ties, U.S. Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice waived the final restrictions for national
security reasons -- and the U.S. is again able to supply lethal weapons to
the TNI.
With relations normalized, the whole case would likely have been forgotten
if not for the recent arrests -- and Spier -- who has not let the case
drop.
With the support of dozens of human rights organizations, she has lobbied
Congress and the American and Indonesian presidents to raise the issue.
We support her struggle and the authorities' efforts to bring the
perpetrators to justice.
And the progress so far has been encouraging: Police have arrested 12
people, including Antonius Wamang, identified as a ringleader of the
killers and who police say is a member of the Free Papua Movement (OPM).
Wamang had earlier been indicted by a U.S. federal court for his role in
the incident but had never been apprehended.
But there is still one lingering question -- how much was the military
involved -- if it was at all.
The authorities have been quick to lay the blame on Wamang, who activists
had previously linked to the TNI, and not the OPM. Now the police are also
blaming the conflict on another at-large OPM rebel, Kelly Kwalik, who they
say gave Wamang the order for the attacks.
Police say they have documentary evidence and testimony proving their
case. It will be vital for these documents to be properly scrutinized in
any trial to allay public reservations.
For there has never been a satisfactory answer to certain questions raised
by human rights organizations in Papua. Why were security personnel in a
normally tightly guarded area near the world's biggest copper and gold
mine absent during the attack, which lasted at least 30 minutes. Why did
some of the survivors remember the shooters wearing military uniforms?
More recent questions concern procedure: the allegations the suspects were
fooled into cooperating with the authorities because they thought they
would face trial in the U.S. -- instead they were handed over to
authorities here -- are worrying.
Many Indonesians are likely to be in favor of the unconditional lifting of
the U.S. military embargo, and there is no doubt international cooperation
is vital in many areas and certainly when combating terrorism. But rushing
to improve international ties by attempting to brush an incriminating
incident under the carpet, in the words of one activist, would lead us
instead to a "partnership of impunity."
Spier's struggle to find the truth, reminds us of another widow also
looking for justice -- Suciwati, the wife of murdered activist Munir. What
these women have gone through reflects what it takes for an ordinary
citizen to move on after their loss.
Spier says that settling this case is in the interests of both countries.
Citizens of all nations need to be sure that they are protected wherever
they are employed; and the U.S. government needs an assurance of
cooperation, especially from the world's largest Muslim nation, in the war
against terror.
For Indonesians, meanwhile, it is ultimately in our interest to know
whether we are still living under the reign of those who would like to
keep secrets from us. Those who kill with impunity, knowing they will
never face trial.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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