8 Aug 2013

Papua activist blames deadly shooting on military firing at ambulance

4:55 pm on 8 August 2013

An independence campaigner in Indonesia's remote Papua province says a deadly shooting last week was the fault of the Indonesian military, who shot at an ambulance.

Reports from local media said one man, Erik Yoman, was killed, and several others were injured including medical officers.

Yasons Sambom says the ambulance was attending to a pregnant woman when the gunmen opened fire, and local rebels would never shoot at an ambulance.

The activist says the military post nearby responded very slowly to the shots, which he says is further proof they were responsible for the incident.

Mr Sambom has accused the Indonesian Military, or TNI, of breaching international law.

The families of the victims say they don't know who the perpetrators are, and the military and police have both accused a rebel group, OPW, for the shooting. The group has reportedly denied the allegations.