Police says Kopassus suspected of involvement in Freeport shooting

Army special forces (Kopassus) soldier are suspected of involvement in an ambush, which killed two Americans and one Indonesian in Papua province in August, a senior police officer said.

Papua deputy police chief Brigadier General Raziman Tarigan said Thursday a native Papuan told police a week after the ambush that he knew the names of four of 11 soldiers involved in the attack.

Tarigan told AFP that police have photographs of the four.

He said the man, Deky Murib, had been an informer and guide for a local unit of the Kopassus special forces. "He regretted his involvement (in the ambush) and reported to the police," Tarigan said.

He identified the four as a captain, a first lieutenant and two privates, but he added: "These people are intelligence operatives. They can use any name and rank as they wish."

Two US teachers and an Indonesian colleague were killed when gunmen opened fire on buses carrying them near the US-owned giant Freeport Indonesia gold and copper mine in Timika district on August 31.

Reports of military involvement in the attack could seriously undermine US and Australian efforts to resume full military ties with Indonesia, restricted since 1999 because of the military-backed violence in East Timor.

Australian Defense Minister Robert Hill said at the weekend that Australia should resume training with Kopassus following the October 12 bombing in Bali and threats of other terrorist attacks.

Tarigan said police had told the top military brass three weeks ago about the possible involvement of the Kopassus soldiers. He declined to say what role they allegedly played in the ambush or speculate on a motive for it.

"It is the job of the military police to investigate errant soldiers who killed people. The police job is only to provide data and facts. We conveyed this to their commanders," Tarigan said.

"It is understandable that suspicions of military involvement in the attack are growing because it's been weeks and the soldiers have not yet been confronted with the witness," he said.

The deputy police chief said he had shared information on the suspected involvement of Kopassus with an eight-member military team which visited Papua on Wednesday to investigate the shootings.

Army officials have denied accusation of its soldiers? involvement in shooting incidents and blamed the ambush on Kelly Kwalik, the leader of a poorly armed separatist group, the Free Papua Movement. Kwalik has denied involvement. (*)