The response of the military was to commit yet more atrocities, adding to the long list of unspeakable acts visited upon the indigenous peoples of the territory during the past three decades. Hundreds were injured when troops opened fire without warning during a pre-dawn raid on sleeping protesters. When bodies started being washed up on the shores of the island the military said they were victims of the tsunami disaster in neighbouring Papua New Guinea. The bodies were buried quickly and no proper autopsies carried out. Reports indicate, however, that at least some of the bodies were local people.
Harsh treatment continues for anyone resisting Indonesian rule in West Papua.
Such 'criminals' include people who merely want to discuss the political status of West Papua. Also in October eight people involved in preparing a two-day discussion were arrested. They included a senior tribal leader from Sentani, Theys Eluay, leader of the newly-formed Committee for the Independence of West Papua. He had previously worked in the provincial government and had recently been inaugurated as head of the Conference of Traditional Peoples of Irian Jaya. This title has now been withdrawn by provincial Governor Freddy Numberi.