Jayapura. Suspected Papua separatists attacked an Army helicopter as it evacuated the body of a soldier they had allegedly killed, police said on Wednesday
The helicopter, a Super Puma belonging to the 753 Nabire Infantry Battalion, was shot at while en route from the Puncak Jaya capital of Mulia to Wamena in Jayawijaya district, Papua police spokesman Sr. Comr. Wachyono said. No injuries were reported.
“The helicopter was shot as it was flying over Tingginambut,” he said.
“Although the shots were able to put holes in the helicopter’s body, no significant damage was found and the chopper was able to make it to Wamena.
“The helicopter was eva cuating the body of First Pvt. Fana Suhandi, a member of the 753 battalion, to Wamena state hospital.”
Fana had been guarding a military post in Tingginambut on Tuesday when a bullet to the chest killed him instantly, the police officer said.
Wachyono said separatists with the Free Papua Movement (OPM) were likely behind the two incidents, which came on a day marked by rallies elsewhere in Papua in which thousands of people demanded an independence referendum. The group has denied involvement.
A string of attacks in recent weeks has plagued the district, known as a hotbed of support for the armed rebel movement.
On Tuesday, the town of Mulia was rocked by two separate shootings that targeted police and military offices, wounding one soldier. On Friday, police said 16 rebel fighters engaged in a firefight with police in Paniai district. Last month, two more shooting incidents left four soldiers dead.
Maj. Gen. Erfi Triassunu, the head of the Cendrawasih Military Command, which oversees operations in Papua, said the rugged region’s dense forest cover was helping the suspects evade detection.
“The rebels are more familiar with the area than us, so they have the upper hand,” he said.
Lambert Pekikir, an OPM leader, said on Tuesday that his organization was not responsible for the series of attacks.
“The OPM has lowered its arms to respect the peaceful demonstration for a referendum. The instruction [for a ceasefire] came from the OPM leader in Sweden, Yacob Pray,” he said in a phone interview from an undisclosed location.
“I don’t know who is responsible, but it is definitely not OPM.”
Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the government would take any measures necessary to ensure stability in the province as well as national unity.
The helicopter underwent repairs after arriving in Wamena, where doctors at the local hospital conducted a post-mortem examination of Fana’s body.
“We found two bullets lodged inside the body. They were 22-caliber rounds,” Erfi said, referring to the 0.22-inch bullets normally found in low-powered rifles and pistols. The weapons are used mainly for training or hunting small animals
Efri added that the helicopter had been hit on the lower left part of its body near the front landing gear and at the lower right near the engine.
“At the time, the weather was bad, so the helicopter was forced to fly low,” he said. “That’s when it was attacked.”