CHRONOLOGY OF THE ARREST OF 9 CIVILIANS AND AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION TO REVEAL THE ACTOR OF THE SHOOTING INCIDENT AT MILE 58 TEMBAGAPURA TIMIKA

By Markus Haluk
A recent shooting incident; Drew Nicholas Grant, an Australian national who worked for PT Freeport, was shot dead by unknown people at Mile-52 on Saturday (July 11 at 5.00am). Drew was with Mr Lucan Jhon Biggs (driver) and Maju Pandjaitan in a Toyota land Cruiser (reg.no: 01-2578). They were on their way from Tembagapura to Timika.

Following the incident, several personnel of mobile brigade from Amole 2 were shot on the 12 to 13 July 2009. These incidents attracted lots of attention from various leaders of Indonesian state institutions, NGOs, Churches within the country and overseas. Secretary of the ministry for security and political affairs, high ranking officials from Indonesian military and state police headquarters, for instance, have visited (Timika) West Papua. After the visit, 700 organic and non-organic personnel from Indonesian military and state police were sent to the area to begin the joint military and police sweeping operations at the PT Freeport Indonesia area.
The Indonesian military and police sweeping operation, however, did not take place at the PT Freeport Indonesia area but at Timika town and the target of the operation was the ordinary civilians. In a brutal sweeping operation , the Indonesian military and police arrested 7 civilians in the middle of Timika town.

The arrest took place at 15:00 on July 20, 2009. These civilians were just ordinary people who were doing their daily activities in Timika town. Their names are as follows:
No. Name Age Tribe of origin
01. Piter Beanal 70 years Amungme Head of tribe
02. Janes Uanman 68 years Amungme Community leader
03. Tomi Beanal 20 years Amunme Youth
04. Eltinus Beanal 19 years Amungme Youth
05. Simon Jawame 38 years Amungme Father of a family
06. Domininggus Beanal 25 years Amungme Youth
07. Jaring beanal 16 years Amungme Child
08. Samuel Toffly 29 years Key Youth
09. Petrus Kanisius Luther 40 years Tanimbar Father of a family

Eyewitness informed us that the military sweeping operations were conducted on the streets, public places and inside family homes.

Besides, the Indonesian security brutally destroyed Demianus Beanal’s house. Demianus who worked for PT Freeport Indonesia lived at Jln Paulus Magal, RT. 04 Kwamki Baru. Many other civilians were beaten, kicked and tortured by the Indonesian military. They used the weapon handles to beat the civilians.
The brutal sweeping operation and arrests of the civilians caused fear and traumatic experience. Many people who had experienced similar brutality in the past now have fled and escaped to the jungles.

The Indonesian military and police sweeping operation did not respect the Amungsa people’s human dignity and it was conducted unlawfully (not according to the Indonesian law). We regret that the operation was not conducted professionally. We believe that by using the violent approach, the Indonesian security forces will not be able to reveal the actor behind the shooting of the Australian worker. In addition, the security forces have made a propaganda to change the public opinions of the conflict by arresting, terrorising, and intimidating innocent civilians. This repeats the same shooting incident at Mile 62-63 Tembagapura Timika in 2002 that caused the arrest of ordinary civilians such as Revd. Isak Ondowame and others.

In order to avoid the propaganda and to reveal the actor who shot Mr Drew Grant (38) and others, and to avoid the arrest of civilians in Timika West Papua, we propose the following recommendations:

1. We urge the Australian government to immediately send Australian Federal Police to do a depth investigation of the shooting of Mr Drew grant. This investigation is conducted independently from the Indonesian state police investigation.
2. We urge the Indonesian state police especially the regional police in Papua to conduct the investigation professionally and avoid destroying people’s houses and arresting the civilians.
3. We urge the regional police of Papua to immediately release 9 civilians who are in Timika Police custody. Their arrests can worsen the security situation in Timika.
4. We urge the security forces to stop terrorising and arresting civilians in Timika West Papua.
5. We urge the National Commission on human rights to form an independent team consisting of other independent organisations to investigate the shooting incident.
6. We urge President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to stop sending troops to Timika West Papua and to promote a respectful and peaceful approach in handling the issue.
7. In order to maintain West Papua as a land of peace, we ask that the Amungsa-Timika people and all the Papuans in West Papua to keep calm and not be easily provoked.
End of the chr
onology of the arrest and some proposed solutions. Thank you for your attention and good cooperation.
Jayapura, 21 July 2009