VZCZCXRO8928
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #8383 1860816
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 050816Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6750
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 9691
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 3178
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 9885
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0932
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEAWJB/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUCNFB/DIR FBI WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS JAKARTA 008383 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FBI PLS PASS CTD/GAO - UC ED MONTOOTH 
SECSTATE FOR EAP/MTS, DS/DSS, DS/IP/EAP, DS/EAP/ITA, AND 
CA/OCS/ACS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ASEC KJUS CASC ID
SUBJECT: OPENING OF TIMIKA TRIAL DEFERRED UNTIL JULY 11 
 
REF: JAKARTA 8114 (TRIAL OF TIMIKA SUSPECTS) 
 
¶1. (SBU) The trial of Anthonious Wamang, Agustinus Anggaibak 
and five other co-conspirators in the 2002 murders of two 
Amcits in Timika, Papua did not begin in Central Jakarta 
District Court on July 4 as originally planned (reftel).  The 
suspects accepted the advice of their legal counsel, a team 
of lawyers from the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights 
Association (PBHI), to decline to appear.  PBHI insists that 
the trial should be held in Timika.  After a morning of 
waiting around the courtroom, the prosecution team prepared a 
letter advising Judge Nurdin of the situation.  The judge 
then deferred the opening of the trial until Tuesday, July 
¶11.  If the defendants persist in refusing to appear at that 
time, the judge, in keeping with established legal practice 
in such situations, is expected to issue a summons for the 
suspects to be compelled to appear at a later date. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The presence of journalists and a group of about 20 
Papuan demonstrators at the courthouse on July 4 indicates 
that when the trial eventually does open, there will be 
significant media interest. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Comment.  We do not believe that PBHI will succeed 
in reversing the Supreme Court's decision to change the venue 
of the trial from Papua to Jakarta based on security grounds. 
 In Indonesia, there is both ample recent precedent and legal 
basis for such a decision.  This is in effect a stalling 
tactic and a preview of PBHI's likely defense strategy of 
arguing that the prosecution is being driven by political 
considerations on the part of the central government.  End 
comment. 
PASCOE