Papua congress incidents

Govt awaiting results of police probe into Papua congress incidents

Tuesday, 8 November 2011

http://www.antaranews.com

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto said the government would wait for the results of the police investigation into the incidents around the recent Papua People`s Congress in Papua that left some people dead.

He said the police were not alone in investigating the case as the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) had been doing the same. The government, however, could not rely on the outcome of the investigation of one party only.

"The police are not investigating the case alone, several other quarters are also involved. The police`s credibility is at stake here. Now who can say that it was TNI and police members that did the shootings. Can the Komnas HAM do so?. Let them do it if they think so but we will wait for the results of the police`s own investigation," he said.

Asked if the organizers of the Third Papuan People`s Congress had sent a letter to his office containing a notification about the event, Djoko admitted his office did receive such letter but his office had never issued a permit for the congress because, like for any seminar, a congress did not require a permit from his office.

"Indeed there was a notification about it and it was no problem for a congress or a seminar to be held so long as it is peaceful as the one I attended three months ago. There was no prohibition. But declaring independence is another matter," he said.

Regarding security in Papua, Djoko said that both TNI and the police had standard operating procedures.

Asked if the provision of Freeport funds to the police should be stopped, Djoko said "just ask the police chief about that."

Komnas HAM had earlier said its team had found evidence of acts of violence committed by TNI and police members during a raid to disperse the 3rd Papuan People`s Congress on October 17-19 in Abepura, Jayapura, which it said amounted to human right violations.

Komnas HAM chief Ifdhal Kasim said to newsmen at the Komnas HAM office here on November 4, Komnas HAM in its investigation from October 24-27 found various facts of violence by security forces against congress participants.

He said the human rights violations led to the death of three civilians, namely Daniel Kadepa, Yakobus Samonsabra and Asa Yeuw.

"The security forces should have only caught them without necessarily having to raid the meeting , and should not have used violence or shot three people," he said.

Therefore, he said, Komnas HAM had asked for a halt to sweeps conducted by security forces as such actions would only create fear among the local people.