TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of Information of the Indonesian Armed Forces Major General Fuad Basya on Wednesday, July 22, 2015, asks for fair view of last week’s unrest in Papua that had claimed one life and rejected opinions that the army should be held responsible.
It is not clear whether the fatal shooting originated from the army or police personnel who were both securing the location during the incident.
Fuad requested the police to reveal not only who got shot and who did the shooting but also the reason behind the shooting. He believed that there must be a pressing reason for his personnel to raise arms.
“The situation at the time was there are hundreds of people attacking, that was why the soldiers raised arms,” he said, adding that there are rules not shoot directly at people.
The clash occurred on Friday morning, July 17, 2015, when dozens of suspected members of the congregation of the Evangelical Church in Indonesia (GIDI) protested Eid prayers at the local military command field in Karubaga. They said they had informed the authorities against the use of loudspeakers, because it coincided with a GIDI seminar.
Policemen issued warning shots to ward off protesters. But mass rampage, caused the burning of dozens of stalls and a prayer room around the field. One victim was killed and dozens of others injured from the police shooting.
MOYANG KASIH DEWIMERDEKA
