"The Kopassus are implicated in this incident. That's number one," John Rumbiak of the Papua-based Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy (Els-Ham) said in Jakarta. Releasing the findings of Els-Ham's investigation of the attack, Rumbiak called on the US Government to launch its own probe into the killings, in conjunction with Indonesian authorities.
Papua Police Chief Inspector, Gen. Made Mangku Pastika, meanwhile said that his officers were still trying to determine which group was responsible for the bloody attack. The police were scrutinizing the evidence, including a car, firearms and hundreds of spent bullets. Mangku said at least 200 bullets were fired at the bus during the attack. He had received a letter from the Free Papua Movement (OPM) denying it had any involvement in the incident, but the police has not dismissed the possibility that the group was behind the shooting. The Army blames the followers of Kelly Kwalik, a local leader of the disorganized and poorly armed OPM, for the attack.
Several top generals have already ruled out military or police involvement in the attack. John Rumbiak, however, rejected the possibility of any OPM involvement, saying he had based his findings on interviews with witnesses, including an informant who claimed to have been in a vehicle in the area with Kopassus members before the ambush. Rumbiak said that the witness is now under police protection. It is not clear if the actual killers were Papuan members of Kopassus or members of a Papuan militia group linked to the Indonesian military, he added.
Kopassus soldiers have also been implicated in the murder of Theys Hiyo Eluay, chairman of the separatist Papua Presidium Council that advocates peaceful dialogue with Jakarta. Eluay was found dead in his car last November. Since June, the Military Police have been saying that several Kopassus soldiers would soon be tried in the Eluay case, but as yet no trial has begun.
The Papua copper and gold mine, one of the largest in the world, is operated by a local subsidiary of US-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. It is considered a vital national asset by the Government and is heavily guarded by Government troops. The massive outflow of revenue from the mine, combined with human rights abuses linked to Government security forces, has provided fuel for widespread separatist sentiment among the Papuan people.
Jakarta has granted the province special autonomy status, promising a greater share of revenue and respect for local culture.
