San Francisco Chronicle, Thursday, February 27, 2003 07:10 PST
Indonesia military pulls out elite troops from troubled Papua
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- The Indonesian Army said Thursday it was withdrawing
special forces from Papua, after allegations they participated in a deeadly mine attack
and the killing of an independence leader.
The disgraced unit, known as Kopassus, was used by ex-dictator Suharto to contain
uprisings across Indonesia during his 32-year reign and has been accused of rights
abuses in East Timor, Aceh and the Maluku.
Human rights groups speculated that the withdrawal from Papua was prompted by the
unit's alleged involvement in the Aug. 31 attack near the U.S. gold and copper mine
P.T. Freeport Indonesia, which killed two Americans and one Indonesian.
Also, seven Kopassus soldiers face trial before a military tribunal for the killing of
Papuan independence leader Theys Eluay in November 2001.
Army Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said the 250 Kopassus troops were being
pulled out because security against rebels fighting for independence had improved. He
did not address the troops' alleged crimes.
Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, is Indonesia's easternmost province on the
western half of New Guinea island.
Indonesia occupied the former Dutch colony in 1963, and its sovereignty was
formalized in 1969 through a U.N.-sponsored referendum. Rights groups claimed the
ballot was a sham, and a loosely organized guerrilla band has been fighting for
independence since then.
™ © 2003 Hearst Communications Inc.
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