Jayapura. The military denied allegations that a woman and three children were shot and wounded during operations to combat suspected separatists in Papua’s Puncak Jaya district.
Matius Murib, deputy head of the Papua branch of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), said on Monday that the incident occurred on July 12 during a shoot-out in the restive subdistrict of Tingginambut.
Exchanges of fire between soldiers and guerrillas from the separatist Free Papua Organization (OPM) have flared up in the area over the past two weeks. Initial reports said three soldiers and a civilian had been wounded, although the military later revised that figure to five soldiers.
Matius said reports were now coming in that four civilians were shot in the crossfire, including a woman, Dekimira, 50, and her son, Jitoban Wenda, 4.
The other victims were identified as their neighbors, Dimison Wenda, 8, and Dekimin Wenda, 3, all of whom were reportedly shot in the legs.
“If it’s true that innocent civilians were shot and injured, then it’s highly regrettable that this happened,” Matius said.
There were also reports that hundreds of residents of Kalome village had fled their homes in the wake of the shooting, for fear of getting caught in the middle of another firefight, he added.
However, Maj. Gen. Erfi Triassunu, head of the Cendrawasih Military Command, which oversees operations across Papua, said that while the military could not confirm whether there had been any civilian casualties in last week’s exchange of fire, the likelihood was low.
“You seriously believe that in a remote and isolated area like that, with such hostile terrain, there would be people living there? Much less kids running around playing?” he said. “Honestly, I’m lost for words. This is the first time I’ve heard of this.”
Erfi confirmed that there had been a shoot-out, sparked by gunmen hiding in the heavily forested area.
“Our soldiers at the time were on a routine patrol to guard other soldiers carrying out social welfare programs,” he said. “All of a sudden, they were fired upon by unknown gunmen, so of course they fired back, which is in accordance with procedures. But we’d be very surprised if there were any civilian casualties, because what would anyone be doing in such an area?”
He said the gunmen were believed to be members of the outlawed OPM, which for more than three decades has waged a low-level insurgency against the government in Papua.
“The armed groups operating in Puncak Jaya appear to be very well trained,” he said. “They always manage to shoot on target, despite the difficulty of the terrain. Our soldiers have a difficult time countering them, because they often can’t see where the shots are coming from.”
The OPM group involved in last week’s shoot-out was believed to be of around 20 men armed with AK-47 or M-16 assault rifles, Erfi said.
“From the bullets that were extracted from the wounded soldiers, it’s likely that those were the guns they were using, as well as perhaps home-made firearms,” he said.