The Sydney Morning Herald, November 23, 2004 - 3:24PM
Papua human rights probe mooted
Indonesia's human rights watchdog may launch an investigation in Papua following
fighting which has left eight people dead and forced thousands to flee gunmen said to
be covert members of the notorious Kopassus commando unit.
A coalition of activists, churches and student organisations last week urged
Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights, known as Komnas HAM, to set
up a fact-finding team to investigate a series of shootings in the separatist province.
Eight people, including a church minister and a police officer, were killed in a series of
attacks by unidentified gunmen between August 17 and November 12 this year in
Puncak Jaya regency.
Another 15, mostly children, died when more than 5,000 residents from 27 villages
fled into the forests fearing further attacks by the gunmen, the coalition said.
Aloysious Renuaren, from the Jayapura-based rights group Elsham, said local people
believed the gunmen were members of Kopassus.
The feared 5,000 strong unit has a notorious rights record, which includes training the
militia forces behind the 1999 East Timor post-independence vote bloodbath.
"Kopassus is here, but they came in to do military intelligence operations, so we don't
know how many there are.
"Most of them are not wearing uniform so people cannot recognise them, but because
of their military operations in Puncak Jaya around 5,000 local people cannot eat and
are now surviving on grass in the jungle."
The police and military are blaming separatist rebels belonging to the Free Papua
Movement for the shootings.
But rights activists, tribal and religious leaders blame the military.
Kopassus troops were recently redeployed to the province to quell an increase in
separatist activities after earlier being withdrawn following revelations Kopassus
personnel were involved in the 2002 killing of independence leader Theys Hiyo Eluay.
An Elsham spokesman in Australia recently accused the military of trying to "East
Timorise" the province of Papua by stirring unrest.
Komnas HAM member Lies Sugondo said the watchdog had been looking closely at
Papua and had already investigated earlier military and police abuses there.
"We have to review it," he told Kompas newspaper.
"But it will need money to investigate and we have to look first at whether it is
available."
Puncak Jaya regent Eliezer Renmaur said he would support an investigation.
Human rights groups have asked Indonesia's new President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono to pull troops out of Puncak Jaya as the first step to a peaceful solution
for the province.
Separatists have waged a low-level struggle against Jakarta since Indonesia took over
Papua from Dutch colonial rule in 1963 following a referendum widely seen as rigged.
© 2004 AAP
Copyright © 2004. The Sydney Morning Herald.
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