By Ezra Sihite on 11:28 am Dec 10, 2014
Jakarta. Indonesia’s National Police chief on Wednesday denied police were behind a fatal shooting in Papua which killed at least four people and injured more than 20.
Police dispatched a special team to the mountainous Paniai district on Tuesday to investigate the incident, which they say left four people dead, but a human rights monitor says killed five.
Speaking in Jakarta on Wednesday, Gen. Sutarman said police were not responsible for the deadly shooting by security forces.
“Everything is still being processed, but they [the shooters] were not from the police corps,” he said.
Gen. Moeldoko, chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), said the investigation would be left to police, but declined to confirm whether soldiers had opened fire on the demonstrators.
“We are still waiting for the National Police investigation,” he said. “Let’s wait, we want the information to come out from one source to make everything clear.”
There are conflicting reports about what happened on Monday. Police said the shooting was provoked after about 200 protesters — possibly aligned to the Free Papua Movement (OPM) — attacked a police and military outpost in Ebarotali.
Locals and Human Rights Watch, however, have said security forces opened fire on a group of protesters angered by the alleged abuse of a teen.
Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, said the public should not draw premature conclusions or blame security forces.
“The army chief said there had been shootings not only from the ground, but also from above,” Tedjo said.
‘We have to check everything first, do not blame the law enforcers.”
At least four teenagers were killed during the demonstration in Enarotali, the capital of the mountainous Paniai district on Monday.
The incident started when local teenagers confronted the driver of a vehicle late on Sunday. The driver was from a local military unit and he returned later with a group of people who beat up a teen.
The beating enraged residents of Ipakiye village who headed to a security outpost in Enarotali to protest.
According to local reports the demonstrators torched vehicle and started singing and dancing. A group of police officers and soldiers then opened fire on the demonstrators.
Police, however, say a “mob” first attacked the military base and then a nearby police post with rocks and arrows.
The incident has sparked fears that the increasing military presence in Indonesia’s easternmost region could led to an era of renewed violence.