Police again says army personnel involved in Freeport shooting

Papua police said on Wednesday that evidences gathered from shooting incident that killed two Americans and an Indonesia last August in the compound of copper and gold mining giant Freeport Indonesia in the township of Timika pointed to military's involvemnt.

"Based on the ballistic examination and the type of guns used, we suspect the involvement of the army personnel in the shooting," said Papua police deputy chief Brigadier General Raziman Tarigan in Jayapura.

His statement about military's involvement came amid constant denial from the military chief of staff General Endriartono Sutarto that military is not involved in the shooting incident.

Earlier in November, Raziman also said army's special forces Kopassus members were involved in the incident, citing the confession of an informer and guide for a local unit of the Kopassus.

Indonesian military (TNI) has sued The Washington Post to the court for its Nov. 3 edition that according to "highly reliable" sources and other information, prior to the ambush, several officers, including TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, allegedly discussed an operation against Freeport with the ultimate aim of discrediting the separatist Free Papua Movement.

US government had pressured Indonesian government to immediately solved the case and asked that the FBI to participate in the investigation. The request to involve FBI was okayed by coordinating minister for security SB Yudhoyono but would only allow their participation as part of a team led by the Indonesian police.(alex)