Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – A key witness to the 2002 ambush in Papua that left two Americans and one Indonesian dead has changed his testimony that Army soldiers were responsible for the incident.
Decky Murib denied he saw soldiers carry out the attack on Aug. 31, 2002, that killed two US teachers and an Indonesian colleague. Gunmen fired on the convoy carrying employees of the US-owned Freeport gold and copper mine.
Testifying during Wednesday's hearing of a defamation case against human rights group Elsham, Murib said the rights group paid him to implicate soldiers from the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) in the ambush.
Elsham failed to pay him the promised Rp 10 million (US$1,176) and an overseas trip to the United States in return for claiming he had witnessed the incident, he testified during the hearing at the Jayapura District Court.
Murib said he had felt cheated by the Papua-based human rights watchdog.
The defamation suit was brought against Elsham by the Indonesian Military (TNI) for accusing its soldiers of being involved in the attack.
The military is demanding that the rights group pay it Rp 50 billion in damages and make a public apology through the local and international media.
Murib's layers failed to attend the trial, which was presided over by judge Ebo Maulana, for health reasons.
Ebo said the absence of the witness' lawyers put the defense at a disadvantage because they were unable to examine the witness.
Murib testified that at the time of the ambush, he was at home in Timika, dozens of kilometers from the scene of the attack, and that he only learned of the incident from a local newspaper.
Weeks after the attack, Murib said, three Elsham activists – Dani Gobani, Paula Makabori and John Rumbiak – took him to a church in Timika, where he said he was asked to confess to having witnessed the killings.
Murib said he was later sent home after the activists promised him money and a trip to America in return for his claim.
However, a year later Murib said he had not received the promised money or the trip to the US He later went to the Timika District Court to report Elsham for false promises.
In response to the complaint, Elsham denied it had promised Murib cash or overseas trips.
"That is entirely untrue. We are human right workers," the group's deputy director, Aloy Renwarin, told AFP.
"We conducted the investigation in a professional manner. Decky told us that he saw the incident but now he is giving a different statement. What's going on?"
In November 2002, Papuan Police said Murib had told them that he knew the names of four of the 11 soldiers involved in the attack. The police said Murib had been an informer and guide for Kopassus in Papua.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has joined the investigation into the attack. US legislators have demanded a full accounting of the incident before any moves are made to resume military-to-military relations with Indonesia.
The trial was adjourned until April 15, at which time the court will hear from the defendants.
Commenting on Murib's retraction of his earlier statement, Trikora Military chief Maj. Gen. Nurdin Zainal said it was a "victory" for the TNI.
"I can say that Decky Murib's testimony contradicting statements he made to Elsham is a victory for us," he said.