Military and Police Involved in Shoot-Out
Wednesday, 14 February, 2007 | 13:26 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Indonesian Military and Indonesian Police personnel were involved in a shoot-out at Puncak Jaya Mount, Papua, yesterday (02/13).

During the incident, a member of the Indonesian Police died.

Indonesian Police spokesperson Inspector General Sisno Adiwinoto said that prior to the shoot-out, three members of Indonesian Police were lining up for petrol that was being guarded by Indonesian Military personnel.

When it was the police personnel’s turn to get the petrol, the guards said that the petrol was all gone.

However, the three police were informed that the petrol was still available actually.

Because they felt they had been made fools of, the Indonesian Police personnel then issued a warning to the guards.

Then a quarrel occurred and this triggered the shoot-out.

Yosef, a police officer, was shot when the incident happened.

He died while being taken to hospital.

Sisno said that the clash was resulted from personnel who put their own interests first.

“There was no connection with the unit,” he told Tempo.

A different explanation came from Brigadier General Ricardo Siagian, Head of the Information Department of the Indonesian Army.

According to him, the three police personnel were furious that they did not get any petrol.

“They arrived late for the queuing up,” he said.

The three police personnel, said Ricardo, had then become angrier when seeing that some military personnel were supplied.

ERWIN DARIYANTO