The attacks have claimed the lives of soldiers and civilians, including a priest.
“We are submitting our report on the result of the team's gathering of facts to Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD on Monday (October 19),” TGPF head Benny Mamoto told a virtual press conference in Jakarta on Saturday.
Mamoto did not elaborate on the reasons behind Mahfud MD announcing the results of their probe.
He said his team primarily applied a culturally-sensitive approach for probing the deadly shootings. Therefore, its members relied on voluntary accounts from invited witnesses.
"We prioritized a cultural approach when gathering facts on the ground. We are not investigators. We just gather facts so that we ourselves must come or the figures that we have invited to come voluntarily show up (to recount what they witnessed)," he said.
Mamoto also underlined the strong commitment on part of all members of the fact-finding team on uncovering the cases.
ANTARA has reported how the task that the Benny Mamoto-led fact-finding team's members carried out in Papua was not an easy one.
On October 9, 2020, a group of armed separatists ambushed them in Mamba village, Sugapa subdistrict, Intan Jaya district.
The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) confirmed it was behind the attack on members of the TGPF. One of the fact-finding team's members and a soldier were injured in the attack.
The TGPF member — Gadjah Mada University (UGM) lecturer Bambang Purwoko — was shot in the leg, while TNI soldier First Sgt Faisal Akbar of the Hitadipa Task Force sustained injuries on his waist.
The Indonesian government set up the TGPF to probe a series of deadly shootings in Intan Jaya in September, 2020, the bloodiest month in the district this year, with armed separatists mounting a spate of attacks, which left two soldiers and two civilians dead, and two others injured.
On September 19, 2020, an Indonesian soldier died in a gunfight with several armed Papuan rebels near the Persiapan Hipadipa Military Sub-district Command's compound in the district.
The fallen hero was identified as First Private Dwi Akbar Utomo, according to XVII Cenderawasih Regional Military Command spokesperson, Lt. Col. Reza Nur Patria.
The same day, armed separatists reportedly gunned down Priest Yeremia Zanambani in Hitadipa village, Hitadipa sub-district.
The priest died of gunshot wounds after he was shot by armed criminals on September 19, 2020, Joint Regional Defense Command (Kogabwilhan) III spokesperson, Col. IGN Suriastawa, noted in a statement.
On September 17, 2020, another soldier, Chief Sergeant Sahlan, was reportedly killed in an ambush laid by a group of armed separatists. He was returning to the Persiapan Hipadipa Military Sub-district Command in Intan Jaya district with food supplies from the Sugapa area when he was attacked.
The attackers seized his gun and magazine, according to Commander of the Biak-based 173/Praja Vira Braja Military Resort Command, Brig. Gen. Iwan Setiawan.
Sahlan, a member of the 1404 Pindrang Military District Command in South Sulawesi province, had been tasked with backing up the Village Supervisory Non-Commissioned Officers (Babinsa) of the Persiapan Hipadipa Military Sub-district Command, he noted.
In a separate incident on September 17, 2020, armed Papuan rebels had reportedly tortured and killed a 49-year-old motorcycle taxi Ojek driver identified as Badawi.
On September 13, 2020, armed separatists opened fire at two other Ojek drivers in Sugapa area, but they managed to survive the attack. The two drivers were treated at a hospital in Timika, the capital of Mimika District, Setiawan stated. (INE)
Related news: Mahfud MD claims ambush against fact-finding team premeditated move.
Related news: Intan Jaya case TGPF's final report targeted on Oct 17
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Syaiful H, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
