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Team deployed to probe military-police shootout in Papua
Papua Police chief Insp
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P
apuaPolice chief Insp. Gen. Yotje Mende says he has deployed a team ofinvestigators to probe a recent shootout in Pirime, Lanny Jaya regency, betweenpolice personnel from the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) and soldiers from the 756Infantry Battalion, in which the head of local military post, Second Lt. AliOkta, was injured.
He said the head of the Papua Police internal affairs division and the director of police intelligence were among the members of the team.
Yotje said that according to the preliminary investigation, the incident occurred when Brimob personnel conducted routine road checks for illegal arms in Pirime and stopped a truck carrying passengers.
During the check, a uniformed soldier refused to be examined. He instead went to a nearby military post.
'All of the sudden, the sound of gunfire came from the direction of the post. Brimob personnel then became involved in an exchange of fire with the soldiers, during which Lt. Ali was injured. For that, I sincerely apology to Lt. Ali,' Yotje said on Tuesday.
A different statement was issued separately by Cendrawasih Military Commander Maj. Gen. Fransen G Siahaan, who said it was the Brimob personnel who fired first.
Commenting on this, Yotje said that he did not want speculate and had therefore formed the team to find out what had really caused the incident.(dic)
