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Who's There To Blame Now That Kwalik Is Dead?

Who's There To Blame Now That Kwalik Is Dead?

Bintang Papua, 24 January 2010

The shooting incident against a bus transporting employees of Freeport at Mile 60-61 on Sunday morning reminds us of the OPM leader, the late Kelly Kwalik. If this shooting had occurred while Kwalik was still around, he would certainly have been blamed for the incident. [Kwalik was shot and fatally wounded on 16 December.]

Now the authorities who have always blamed Kwalik are in a pickle, trying to think who could have been responsible for the incident in which nine people were injured, including Freeport employees and their relatives and four members of Brimob. They had better beware of blaming Kwalik this time because he is now in his grave. Or are there perhaps young Kellys who have taken over the struggle of their mentor?

Time will tell, when persons suspected of the shooting are in the hands of the authorities Will they be able to arrest the real perpetrators or will they go back to their old ways, blaming all the incidents involving Freeport on the likes of Kelly Kwalik, even though the area in which these incidents have occurred is tightly controlled by the security forces. It is virtually impossible for anyone to enter the area except members of the security forces, and only certain members, at that. These incidents are still shrouded in mystery and it seems to be impossible for the security forces in this republic of ours to solve the mystery.

There are many people who believe that, bearing in mind these series of incidents, it would surely be better if the company were guarded by security forces from the company itself., with assistance where necessary from the police. But this seems to be unlikely as this mine is regarded as a 'vital asset' in need of special protection by the state. As a result, virtually all the different wings of the armed forces are involved in guarding the area.

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One member of Commission B of the Mimika legislative assembly, Wilhelmus Pigai, has expressed amazement at the occurrence of yet another shooting incident even though Kelly Kwalik who has always been blamed in the past is no longer with us, having been killed on 16 December.

Another member of the assembly, Karel Gwijangga said that people in his constituency are increasingly confused by the occurrence of these incidents. It is up to the police to work hard to discover who is responsible for these shooting incidents. They need to come up with the facts and put an end to any cover-up. And please stop blaming any more Kellys.

ENDS

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