SEPARATISTS AMBUSH MILTARY PATROL IN PAPUA

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 1 (ANTARA)  - Free Papua Movement (OPM)'s alleged gunmen ambushed  military convoy vehicles which were conducting a patrol in Keerom district, in the border area with Papua New Guinea, causing an exchange of fire and leaving one civilian dead Sunday.          The incident took place coinciding with the 66th anniversary of the National Police and anniversary of the OPM, a separatist organization established in 1965 for Papua/West Papua to secede from Indonesia.          On previous days, police had virtually made necessary anticipation in the face of the OPM anniversary calling on the people of Papua to restrain from raising the OPM's morning star flag. Yet, at least six OPM flgas were raised amid the National Police anniversary. Police pulled down  the flags, in two places in Jayapura and four locations in Keerom.         "Security officers have handled the hoisted flags with persuasive approaches and nothing happened," National Police Spokesman Insp. Gen. Saud Usman Nasution was quoted as saying by the JPNN.Com in Jakarta on Sunday.          However, when the chief of  Battalion 431 (Yon 431) of the Army's Strategic Command (Kostrad), Lt.Col. Indarto  led a convoy to conduct a routine patrol in the Keerom district in Papua, his vehicle was ambushed by armed civilians.          "Indonesian security forces clashed with a group of unidentified armed civilians in the border area between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, claiming the life of one civilian," Chief of the Cenderawasih Military Command Maj. Gen Erwin Safitri said.          He confirmed the incident when contacted which he said took place in Wembi area, Keerom district, Papua Province.          "The vehicle of the army personnel from Battalion 431 (Yon 431) of the Army's Strategic Command (Kostrad) was ambushed by the separatist National Liberation Army/Free Papua Movement Organization (OPM) when it was passing in the Sawi Tami area,"  Maj. Gen. Erwin Safitri  said.          When they were ambushed the military personnel and the civilian gunmen were involved in exchanges of fires in the areas that caused the death of one civilian, namely the Sawi Tami village chief.          Yon 431 Commander Lt.Col. Indarto  who was contacted in a separate place said he and his subordinates were conducting a routine patrol to the military posts in the area when they arrived in the Sawi Tami area they were ambushed by the OPM group led by Lambert Pekikir.          "My man was hurt  with a piece of broken windshield," Indarto said adding that besides ambushing our vehicles, the OPM separatists also opened fires at other vehicles behind his car.          As a result, he said, one civilian was killed namely Yohannes, who is the head of Sawi Tami village," the Yon 431 commander whose area oversees the border between Indonesia and  RI-PNG said.          In the meantime, Chief Security Minister Djoko Suyanto strongly criticized the ambush and shooting of the military patrol convoy by separatist elements in the border area.          "Police and military apparatuses should hunt them down and arrest them so that the public could be informed about the party or group which is responsible for the criminal act," the coordinating minister for political, law and security affairs said in his short message to ANTARA.          Armed clashes between security officers and civilian gunmen in Papua have frequently taken place.       Early last month, it was reported  shooting incidents in three different locations in Jayapura by unknown gunmen also took place at around 10pm Central Indonesia Time. Djoko Suyanto condemned the recent shootings of civilians, foreigner, military or police members in Papua.          "The acts were against efforts aimed at creating peace in Papua and accelerating development programs in the region," he said at a press conference following the incident     In view of that he called on the police and TNI (military) to  immediately seize the perpetrators and bring them to justice. He also asked people to help give correct information about them to the apparatus.          The victims include Iqbal Rifai, aged 22, a resident of Hamadi Pasar,  Hardi Jayanto, aged 22, a resident of Klolfkam and First Private Frangki Kune, aged 25, resident of the Waena Combat Engineering Corps station.          "The violence must be stopped and the police with TNI help must immediately find the perpetrators," the minister said.          In an effort to create peace and improve the welfare of the people of Papua, the government is continuing with its efforts to open a line of communication with separatist OPM in the eastern-most Papua province.          "Until now the approach used is welfare and not military, because a military approach is only useful for dealing with crimes," Djoko said at a meeting with community and religious leaders and members of the, Papua Legislative Council (DPRP)  and the Papua People Assembly (MRP).          He said it was not easy to unite the views of different parties, but the most important thing was how to unite Papua peacefully so that the province could catch up with other regions.          "Since December 2011, the government has been trying to send a delegation for talks with OPM. But, it's not easy to persuade them to come down from the mountains and live side by side with other people," Djoko Suyanto said.          The government, he said, had held dialogues with other groups, such as the Papua Peace Network (PPN). "In 2011, I attended an event organised by PPN at the University of Cenderawasih hall," added the chief security minister.***1*** (T.A014/A/b003/B003) 01-07-2012 18:48: