TEMPO, 28 Dec 2002 20:54:13 WIB
National
Shooting of Papuan Human Rights Activist's Family May Be
Related to Timika Incident
28 Dec 2002 20:54:13 WIB
TEMPO Interaktif, Jakarta: Three close relatives of human rights activist John
Bonay, executive director of the Human Rights Advocacy and Research Institute
(ELSHAM), were injured in a shooting in Wutung, 20-km from Jayapura, Papua, on
Saturday (28/12) at 09.30 am Eastern Indonesian Time (WIT).
The three relatives are Bonay's wife Elsje Bonay (33), his son Merlin Bonay (12) and
also another relative Yeni Merautje (28).
On Saturday morning, 11 members of the Bonay family planned to celebrate
Christmas with their relatives in Vanimo, a province in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
However, John Bonay was not present when these 11 members of the family left by
minibus for PNG.
The gate in the borders of West Papua and PNG in Wutung was still closed so the
Bonay family asked the officer at the immigration post to open the gate.
"Suddenly, the family was shot at by someone in the bush near the gate," ELSHAM
deputy director Aloy Renwarin told Tempo News Room by phone on Saturday
afternoon (28/12).
According to Renwarin, none of the victims identified the shooters as the bush near
the gate was quite high.
On Saturday last week, he said, the tires on John Bonay car were deflated and his
residence's phone cable was also cut.
"It's likely that these incidents are connected with the shooting of three Freeport
employees in Timika last August. We're now handling this case," stated Renwarin.
According to Renwarin, Bonay has ordered his staff to investigate the current shooting
incident against his family.
"We will also ask the government to provide protection for human rights' activists and
their families here. In addition to Bonay, most of us here have been threatened," said
Renwarin.
He added that the victims of the current shooting incident were still in a critical
condition.
Elsje Bonay was shot in both legs, Yeni Merautje in her right leg and Merlin Bonay in
his left leg. (Istiqomatul Hayati – Tempo News Room)
Copyright @ tempointeraktif
|
