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New study links Indonesian politician to 2002 murder of US schoolteachers in West Papua
August 18, 2008: Fresh evidence links Indonesia’s military to the 2002 murder of two American school teachers in the remote Papua province. An article in the latest issue of South East Asia Research, a peer-reviewed journal published in London, is a forensic account of a murder that is still the subject of an open FBI investigation. “Credible sources link Indonesian intelligence agents to the planning of this attack,” said co-author Eben Kirksey, an American anthropologist. “But, Senior Bush Administration officials—including Condoleezza Rice, John Ashcroft, and Robert Mueller—have helped cover-up evidence of Indonesian military involvement in the murder of U.S. civilians,” continued Dr. Kirksey. “The FBI has failed to bring this case to a definitive resolution.”
OPM blamed
FBI agents apprehended a group of Papuan villagers in 2006 and delivered them to Indonesian authorities. Indonesian courts sentenced seven of these men, including alleged ringleader Antonius Wamang, a guerilla fighter in Papua’s independence movement, to jail time for participating in the attack. But, Indonesian military involvement was not seriously considered at the trial. “The Indonesian trial was a sham,” says co-author Andreas Harsono, an Indonesian investigative journalist. “Why did America trust this important case to a court system known for widespread corruption?”
Indonesian politician allegedly set up murder
Agus Anggaibak, a 27-year old member of the regional parliament, helped plan the ambush, according to reliable sources. He also reportedly facilitated contacts between the shooters and active duty military agents. In an interview with the authors, Anggaibak admitted to having ties with Indonesia’s intelligence agency, BIN. Anggaibak denied any involvement in the attack. But, he also admitted to meeting with Antonius Wamang, the convicted ringleader. “Credible journalists have long reported that the highest levels of the Indonesian military had foreknowledge of this murder,” said Dr. Kirksey. “We have identified the probable field agent who carried out the plan.”
Evidence of Indonesian military shooters
Indonesian soldiers fired their weapons at the crime scene, according to ballistics reports. School teachers who survived the ambush saw uniformed men speed away from the crime scene in the moments after their colleagues were murdered.
The article, titled “Criminal Collaborations? Antonius Wamang and the Indonesian Military in Timika”, draws on over 2,000 pages of Indonesian-language courtroom documents, recently declassified U.S. State Department cables, and over 50 interviews.
The full article is available through university libraries and can be purchased on-line: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ip/sear. South East Asia Research is published by IP Publishing Ltd for the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London.
Contacts/source:
S. Eben Kirksey, Ph.D.
University of California
skirksey@ucsc.edu
+1.831.600.5937
Andreas Harsono
Pantau Foundation
aharsono@cbn.net.id
+62.815.950.9000