On August 31, 2002, unidentified assailants opened fire on an International School bus carrying innocent civilians. American nationals Ted Burcon and Ricky Spear and Indonesian national F.X. Bambang Riwanto were killed.

Suspect Decky Murib, a resident of Harapan Village in Kwamki Lama, Papua, admitted his involvement in the incident to Papuan regional police a week later. According to his identity card, Decky Murib is a farmer, though he claims he's been an informer for the Indonesian Military's Special Forces Command (Kopassus) in Papua for over 10 years.

Last September 18, Murib told Deputy Chief of Police in Papua, Brigadier General Raziman Tarigan, that Kopassus troops were responsible for the Timika bloodshed. Also present when Murib made this confession were Indonesian intelligence officer, Commissioner Narji, Timika priest, John Jongga, Elsham director, Yohanis G. Bonay, and several other Papua police officers. The following are excerpts from an interview conducted by Tarigan with Decky Murib:

Intelligence Officer (IO): What do you know about the August 31 incident?

Decky Murib (DM): I was involved by association with Pak Tom (Beanal). At that time, I was a member of Operational Assistance Personnel.

Tarigon: You were a member of whose Operational Assistance Personnel-District Military Command?

DM: The Military's Special Forces Command, Kopassus. I have been a member of Timika's Military Special Forces Command Operational Assistance Personnel for a long time. On Saturday, August 31 between 7am and 8am, I was eating breakfast at the Serayu Hotel in Timika when Captain Markus approached me and asked me to join him, to go to Tembagapura. There was a white Freeport car parked in front of the hotel, with 10 people inside. I sat in the back. Captain Markus sat in front next to the driver, who was a Kopassus officer.

Tarigon: Who is Captain Markus?

DM: Captain Markus is the captain of the Military's Special Forces Command.

Tarigon: Do you remember the number on the flank of the car?

DM: 609

IO: Do you usually join such operations?

DM: On Saturday and Sunday, we usually fetch sugar or coffee from Tembagapura. I thought that was what the trip was about.

IO: Did you know any of the 10 people in the car?

DM: I had seen several of them at police or military functions. They were tall and had straight hair.

IO: What were they wearing?

DM: They were all wearing civilian clothing, plain T-shirts with black vests. They were all carrying weapons.

Tarigon: What kind of weapons were they carrying? Can you draw them?

DM: I can identify AK47s and M-16s. I have also seen a Steuer gun. But I had never seen weapons like those before. Even when I accompanied General Prabowo at Mapenduma, I never saw weapons like those. They were very short, black, contained a telescopic sight and a slightly curved magazine underneath.

Police Officer: Possibly they were MP-5's, Sir.

IO: What time did you actually leave the hotel?

DM: We left for Tembagapura at 8am. Everyone was silent during the trip-no one spoke at all. We passed a guard's inspection post at kilometer 50.

IO: Were you stopped at the post?

DM: No. We continued past the district command base and then stopped at about kilometer 58. They dropped me off with four officers. Captain Markus and the other five officers continued on to Tembagapura. After being dropped off, I was given five bottles of beer. I drank only two bottles but became drunk. To me it didn't taste like ordinary beer. The other officers didn't drink anything at all. Then they took my identity card. Suddenly, I heard a gunshot and two more gunshots soon after. I asked the officers whether the shots were from the commander's group. They told me, "No". They said the shots could have come from Operational Assistance Personnel. The car returned very soon after that.

IO: Who was inside the car?

DM: The captain's men. He ordered us to get in and head back to Timika.

IO: Where did you go after that?

DM: We drove to the kilometer 50 guard's inspection post and then returned to the place of the incident, at kilometer 62, where four foreign nationals were killed. Many military and police officers had already gathered there.

IO: Where did the other 10 officers go?

DM: They joined the gathering of officers and checked out the bodies. Then they ordered me to climb the hill to check for Operational Assistance Personnel. I told them I was drunk and refused. After that we returned to Timika.

Tarigon: How long have you known Markus?

DM: About one year.

Tarigon: Was Markus from the Tribuana Task Force Command or the Cendrawasih Task Force Command?

DM: He was from the Tribuana Task Force Command. Tarigon: If I showed you some photos of Tribuana Special Forces officers, would you recognize them?

DM: Yes. (When showed photos of Kopassus officers, Murib identified First Lieutenant Wawan Suwandi and Officer Jufri Uswanas, two of the officers who participated in the operation.)