More mining killings in Papua

The island of New Guinea.

Indonesian police have confirmed a second man has been killed in Papua (Irian Jaya) in another ambush targeting passing mine vehicles.

But there is still speculation as to whether Papuan separatist rebels or Indonesian military police are the likely suspects.

The second attack occurred yesterday near the site where 29-year-old Australian Drew Grant, an employee of Freeport Indonesia, was shot and killed while sitting in the back of a car on the way to a game of golf on Saturday morning.

The attack killed a Freeport security guard named Markus Ratealo.

The deputy spokesman for Indonesia's National Police, Brigadier General Sulistio Ishak, says that two men were injured in a firefight following the attack.

The wounded men were members of the Densus 88 anti-terrorism unit, which was established after the Bali bombings with Australia's support.

Two other company employees were critically injured and being treated in hospital.

The attack occurred near the site where Mr Grant was killed on Saturday morning by five shots to the neck, chest and stomach by unknown assailants using military-issue weapons, say Indonesian police.

Australian Federal Police are now in Papua assisting the investigation.

Mr Grant was a new father and was due to be reunited in Papua with his wife Lauren and their nine-week-old baby Ella next week.

Some police say they still do not know whether the attacks were the work of OPM Papuan separatist rebels or not, but others have been quoted saying the OPM are the main suspects in the attacks.

Viktor Yeimo, the chairman of the West Papua National Committee which is closely aligned with the rebels, says there were OPM operations going on in the area where the deaths occurred.

"Yes, in the area where Drew was, it's clear that OPM did an attack in that area," he said.

"But it's unclear whether they hit Drew's car or not because that was not the only place where they did the attacks.

"They attacked in other places too, but far from Drew's car, so it's not clear whether the shots could hit Drew or not."

But an Australian source from within Freeport who has worked with security services at the mine and wishes to remain anonymous, told AM that he suspects some degree of military or police involvement in the weekend's violence.

He does not offer evidence for the allegation other than to point out that the security role at the mine of Indonesia's mobile police brigade, known as Brimob, is under threat as the company is considering replacing them with private security contractors.

Dr Eben Kirksey is a cultural anthropologist with the University of California who extensively investigated the ambush shooting deaths of two American teachers in the mines area of operations in Timika in 2002.

A Papuan man name Anthonius Wamang was sentenced to life in prison for the attack.

But Dr Kirksey is among those in and outside of Papua who still suspects Indonesian military involvement.

He says that whilst it is too early to assess the latest violence, he thinks there are parallels with 2002 and lessons to be learned for Australian Federal Police investigators now on the ground in Papua.

"I think the Australian labs have the right the analyse to evidence," he said.

"There is a precedence with the Timika case. Eventually the bullets and everything else was taken to Virginia and analysed there.

"So I think Australia has every right to push right now before the trail get cold for all these things."

- RADIO AUSTRALIA