Papua regional police deputy chief Brigadier General Paulus Waterpauw said to newsmen here on Friday that the police had already conducted an investigation on the scene and a chase on the suspects involving sniff dogs.
He said although various preventive as well as repressive efforts had been made, no suspects had been named so far.
A team of officers from the National Police Headquarters and the Papua Regional Police Command had been set up to investigate the cases.
Waterpaum said bad weather had so far been one of the obstacles hindering the investigation. Sniffer dogs had not been able to do their job because of rain.
He said in their efforts the police were being fully helped by the TNI (military).
The former police chief of Mimika had been assigned by National Police Chief General Timur Pradopo to open a temporary office in Timika to settle various problems in the region includng the shooting incidents and Freeport workers` strike that has lasted since September 15, 2011.
A Mimika district legislative assembly member, Luther Wakerkwa, hailed the assigning of Brig. Gen. Waterpaum to settle the cases.
"As he is a native of Papua, I am optimistic Paulus will be able to give security and peace to the local people and accelerate the settlement of the cases in this region," he said.
Shooting incidents since July 2009 until November 22, 2011 have already claimed more than 10 lives among civilians, employees, and security forces.
The last shooting incident occurred on Tuesday (Nov 22) at around 12.37pm at Mile 51 on the road to Tembagapura on a TNI bus.
The bus, driven by Abubakar Sidik, an employee of PT Kuala Pelabuhan Indonesia (KPI), and carrying 10 TNI members was on its way from Mile 50 to Mile 64 to deliver logistics to a number of TNI members assigned to secure the PT Freeport area when it was suddenlty showered by bullets by unknown gunmen. Abubakar was injured in his back by sharpnel.
A TNI member, chief private Tekad, was also wounded in the attack. The other TNI members left the bus and returned the fire coming from the edge of a jungle. A number of police Mobile Brigade members soon came to help.
On Friday (Nov 18) an internal security guard of PT Freeport, Fery Willem Sainyakit, died after being shot by a gunmen at Mile 52 on the road to Tembagapura.
The incident happened while he was on patrol along with some police Mobile Brigade members.
Two days earlier, on November 16, a container truck of PT Freeport was also attacked by unknown gunmen near Mile 51 between Timika and Tembagapura.
The Commission on Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) meanwhile said it had recorded a total of 26 shooting incidents happening since July 2009 to November 2011 in the area of PT Freeport Indonesia leaving 16 people dead.
"The victims include two policemen, 11 employees and three civilians," Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said here on Friday.
The incidents also left 48 wounded including two TNI members, 11 police officers and 30 employees.
He said none of the cases had been solved so far.
He said violence had escalated when Freeport employees staged protests with 13 shooting incidents recorded recently.
In view of that he called on the government to evaluate the security system as well as the presence of the US company to see if it gives benefit or not and improve the welfare of the employees and local people or not.
(T.E015*S037/H-YH/HAJM/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
