LAKSAMANA.Net, October 19, 2004 06:11 AM
Review – Regions: Death in Papua
Laksamana.Net - Separatist rebels in Papua province have been blamed for the killing
of six migrant workers from South Sulawesi province.
Gunmen on Tuesday (12/10/04) opened fire on a convoy of vehicles carrying food and
building materials for a local construction firm near the highland town of Wamena in
Puncak Jaya regency.
"They were ambushed by around 50 separatists, who shot dead six out of 10 people
in the convoy and burned the cars," military official Colonel Pardamuan Simanjuntak
was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Authorities are yet to recover the bodies because the attackers reportedly blocked
access roads by cutting down trees and destroying bridges.
Two Papuans, Nendilus and Kisman Telenggen, were arrested on October 18 for
questioning over their alleged involvement in the attack.
Separatist rebels have for decades been waging a sporadic battle for independence
since Papua was incorporated into Indonesia in the 1960s.
Deadly Unrest in South Sulawesi
Clashes erupted Thursday (14/10/04) in Polewali Mamasa regency, South Sulawesi
province, when mobs set fire to dozens of houses and a mosque, leaving at least two
people dead.
The violence stems from two years ago, when a law was passed to split the regency
into two regencies: Polewali Mamasa and Mamasa.
One Muslim community rejected the division because it would become part of the
Christian-majority Mamasa regency. Many Christians support the split and have
attacked Muslims who oppose it.
The regency was officially split on Saturday and security reinforcements were
deployed to prevent further violence.
Police said one man died from spear wounds on Saturday and a boy died in a
stampede when locals fled their homes.
Nine Killed in Aceh
Eight suspected separatist rebels and a soldier were killed in a clash in Aceh province
on Thursday (14/10/04).
A military spokesman said the clash took place after 10 marines encountered about
20 Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members near a village in the east of the province.
Lieutenant Colonel Ary Mulya Asnawi said officers recovered five machine guns and
several hundred bullets.
Also in Aceh, eight soldiers were killed on Tuesday when the helicopter they were
traveling in crashed in a mountainous area of the province.
Army chief General Ryamizard Ryacudu denied reports that rebels had shot down the
helicopter. He said the crash was due to bad weather and the old age of the Bell 205
helicopter.
Singaporean Sand Dredger Detained
The Navy last week impounded a Singaporean-owned vessel and its five Filipino crew
members suspected of illegal sand dredging operation.
The MV Bintang Tiga was caught in Tanjung Balai Karimun waters near Batam island.
Local Navy official Lieutenant Colonel Bambang Wahyudi said the crew confessed the
ship was about to conduct a survey on prospective areas for sand dredging.
It was the first Singaporean ship to be apprehended after Indonesia claimed to have
banned sand exports to Singapore last year.
Kalimantan Haze
Thick smoke haze from forest and ground fires enveloped parts of Kalimantan last
week, disrupting flights in some areas.
Reports said at least two flights in Muara Teweh in Central Kalimantan province were
cancelled on Saturday (16/10/04) because of smoke from fires that had been started
to clear land for plantations. Locals have been urged to wear face masks when going
outside.
Visibility was down to 700 meters, while parts of Malaysia were also shrouded in haze
from the fires.
Central Sulawesi Legislator Rejects Freebie
A legislator in Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi province, has been praised for
refusing a “gift” from the local mayor.
Ali Lamu, a member of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), declined to accept more
than Rp4 million ($440) in cash from Mayor Suwardin Suebo to buy a jacket.
But the other 29 local legislators, elected in the April 5 general election, reportedly
accepted similar gifts valued at Rp4 million each from the mayor.
Local non-government organizations presented Lamu with an award for his rejection of
the gift and expressed hope that other legislators would learn to stop accepting gifts
and bribes.
Quake Shakes Bali
An earthquake measuring 5 on the Richter scale shook the resort island of Bali on
Thursday (14/10/04) but there were no reports of damage or injury.
It was the second quake to hit the island in less than a month. On October 15, a
quake of 5.5 magnitude hit the island, collapsing a wall, killing one person and injuring
two others.
Indonesia is often hit by earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific “ring of fire” –
a series of volcanoes and fault lines running from the Americas through Japan and
Southeast Asia to the South Pacific.
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