Tony Jones: The Indonesian Government has confirmed that almost 40 police officers have been interviewed about the shooting death of a senior tribal leader at a peaceful rally in West Papua in August this year.
Human rights groups say they suspect the man was murdered by a gunman working for the military or intelligence services. Jeff Waters filed this report.
Jeff Waters: It was organised as a peaceful day of celebration. On the 9 August this year, watched over by a large contingent of police, thousands of indigenous Melanesian people gathered in Wamena, the most heavily populated area of Papua provinces' remote highlands.
It was United Nations World Indigenous People's Day. It may have been a peaceful event, but it wasn't long before gunfire rang out.
According to witnesses, police fired above the heads of the crowd. A photographer captured this image. But somehow Opinus Tabuni, a well-regarded member of the Lopago Tribal Council, was fatally wounded.
Paula Makabory, human rights worker: I didn't even think that they would shoot all of the people. One person is enough to create a conflict.
Jeff Waters: As evidence to their belief someone in authority was trying to spark a major riot, indigenous rights activists are circulating this photograph. of a man who may be holding a gun, in front of the police line. They say it was taken moments before the shooting. We can't confirm its veracity, or that this man was responsible for the death.
Paula Makabory: I think he is part of the Indonesian security forces. He's intelligent. It's an Indonesian guy with long straight hair and he has a black pistol in his hands.
Jeff Waters: How do we know that he's Indonesian?
Paula Makabory: His presence is totally different amongst all of those indigenous West Papuans.
Jeff Waters: The spokesman for the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, Dino Kusnadi, says the rally was being held without a legal permit and that a high level investigation is being conducted into the shooting.
Dino Kusnadi, Indonesian Embassy spokesman: The Indonesian Government deeply regrets the violence that occurred during that public rally. We are very much aware of that incident. It's been considered both by the provincial government and also by the central government as high importance. I mean they've already questioned 46 people. If they want to add to these claims and to more official complaints to the police, we welcome that.
Jeff Waters: The shooting only happened after some of those present decided to raise a banned morning star flag, seen here on the left of the screen.
Dino Kusnadi: Raising the morning star is against the law in Indonesia. That it is not considered as a cultural symbol but it is considered even by these people as a sign of separatism, in this case, that is against the law in Indonesia.
Jeff Waters: If someone did try to stir-up a bloodbath that day, they failed. After the killing, successive speakers called for calm.
"We would like to solve this problem peacefully," this speaker says, "It is a failure that we haven't been able to achieve it so we have to be patient."
The massive rally, some say numbered 20,000, was then allowed by police to march through Wamena to the home of the dead man.
Such is the level of suspicion in Papua, that community leaders demanded to be present at Mr Tabuni's post-mortem. They filmed the removal of this bullet from one of his organs.
Opinus Tabuni may now be buried, but this issue is not. As well as the now Jakarta-based investigation into his death, activists say they fear a round-up of the rally organisers may be about to take place.
Jeff Waters, Lateline.