Results of Komnas HAM Investigation into Biak: One Dead, 23 Injured in Shooting

Antara News Wire

Saturday, 18 July 1998

Jayapura – The National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) announced, regarding the case of the dispersal of a crowd of demonstrators by security forces, that as a consequence one person was dead and 23 others had suffered gunshot wounds and were hospitalised at the Biak regional public hospital (RSUD).

Komnas HAM member, B N Marbun, and Komnas HAM spokesperson in Irian Jaya, M F Kareth, SH, when questioned on Friday by ANTARA and Kompas on the campus of Cenderawasih University (Uncen), Jayapura, stated that as a result of investigations conducted on 14-16 July, Komnas HAM found that one civilian, Ruben Aroboy or Robby (27), had died from a gunshot to the head.

This information was established from an inspection of patient condition records and [consulting with] healthcare workers at RSUD Biak.

Robby was declared dead at 10:00am East Indonesia local time on Monday (6/7) but it was not known where the body was buried.

Marbun stated that they were not able to meet with the victim’s wife because their home was too far from Biak Township.

He said they had requested that officers of the Regional Consultative Council (Muspida) and the security forces locate and advise where the victim’s body had been buried.

“Komnas HAM had opened up this case, including reports of persons missing, and thus government authorities in Biak had to make their findings public,” said Marbun.

He further stated that, of the 23 injured casualties, four who had received live bullet wounds (peluru tajam) had been transferred to Hasanuddin Hospital in Ujung Panjang for intensive care, while the remainder were still being nursed at RSUD Biak, some as outpatients.

The security forces had forcefully dispersed a crowd of 400 people.