Jayapura, Jubi – Eden Armando Bebari (19 years old), a victim of shootings allegedly committed by the military in Mimika Regency was a third-semester student of Computer Engineering at Universitas Multimedia Nusantara in Tangerang Selatan, Banten. His family firmly confirm that he was civilian and not a member of the armed insurgent group in Papua.
Eden Armando Bebari is one of two civilians who mistakenly became a shooting target by the military task force at Mile 34, PT Freeport Indonesia complex on Monday (13/4/2020). Another death victim is Ronny Wandik (21 years old).
His father Demi Bebary when contacted by Jubi on Tuesday afternoon (14/4/2020) was unable to hold back his tears throughout the phone conversation. He regretted circulating news about the shooting chronology claiming Eden and Ronny were members of the armed insurgent group in Mimika, Papua.
“It said that such evidence including cigarettes, ammunition, group-identity bracelets, identity bracelets, shotgun and long-barrelled gun found on the scene. It was not true because this boy was only 19 years old. He was a college student who knows nothing about this kind of stuff” told Bebari to Jubi.
When contacted by Jubi on Tuesday at 3.20 p.m. Papua time, Bebari and his wife had just arrived in Timika and was on their way to Timika Public Hospital. They departed from Sentani, Jayapura Regency on the same day using a plane owned by the Air Force.
Demi Berbari told Jubi that he and his wife stayed in Jayapura and could not return home in Kwamki Lama, Timika, due to the travel ban in Papua following the COVID-19 outbreak. As a result, the couple had to separate with their four children. Eden was a third child of their four children. He had two older sisters and a young sister.
Bebari described his son Eden was a cheerful child. He liked to go fishing every time he came home from Tangerang during the school break. Eden, said Demi, was with his friend Ronny to go fishing on Monday when the incident happened.
“He always goes fishing to bring food home for his siblings,” Bebari said in a halting voice.
“But…what was happening….The military must be responsible for this incident. They [Eden and Ronny] were not [members of] the armed insurgent group. They were just kids. They were students, college boys. He [Eden] is my only son, the one and only….., but they took him away from me. It happened because of the task force built their military post here. They should know [the habit of] the locals here,” he said, crying.
Therefore, Bebari said he and his family would set a meeting with the military commander in Mimika, asking him to be responsible for his members’ act toward his only son. Eben will turn 20 years on 29 August 2020.
“I ask the perpetrators to be arrested and taken to a civil court. I don’t want them [the perpetrators put on a trial] in a military court. I also ask the National Human Rights Commission to do an investigation,” Bebari pleaded.
Military Commander will appoint an investigation team to investigate the shooting incident.
The Military Commander of XVII Cenderawasih Herman Asaribab along with Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw and Papua Military Intelligence Agency Chief Brigadier General Abdul Haris Napoleon arrived in the hospital mortuary at the Mimika Public Hospital on Tuesday afternoon. They came to meet the families of the shooting victims in Timika, while the families were ready to submit their charges.
After listening to their aspirations, the Military Commander Asaribab explained that they came to commit necessary actions in addressing the shooting incident which killed two young men and to expresses their condolences towards the families.
“I am here with the Papua Police Chief and other officers to help the people who are currently in grieve. We also want to express our condolences,” he said.
Furthermore, he declared to deploy an investigation team to investigate this incident. “There would be an investigation team appointed to investigate the incident thoroughly, and of course, it would be a legal process in progress,” he said.
Meanwhile, Papua Police Chief Paulus Waterpauw admitted that the security condition in Mimika is not conducive lately. There were violent acts towards the military and police as well as employees and some facilities of PT Freeport. Therefore, the military and police need to deploy the security forces to protect people and secure the security, including around the complex of PT. FI.
“The security forces are, of course, to secure the condition and protect people, including those who live within the complex of PT. FI, as well as their management and the local government. However, given to the complex situation, sometimes it is difficult for us to distinguish the insurgent group members with ordinary residents,” said Waterpauw.
After having a dialogue with the two high-rank military and police officers, the victims’ families finally agree to bring home the victims’ bodies to Kwamki Lama and set their funeral on Wednesday (15/4/2020). (*)
Reporter: Yuliana Lantipo
Editor: Pipit Maizier
