During the landing the injured pilot panicked, according to local media sources, and crashed the plane into the terminal building.

Four people sustained injuries from bullet fragments, including a child.

Police had been unable to identify the perpetrators or the guns used in the incident. Papua Police’s public relations head, Commander Yohanes Nugroho Wicaksono, guessed the shooter had used a M-16 or SS1 – the standard issue weapon for the TNI. He said:

“We’re still studying what particular type of gun was used”

Djoko Suyanto, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Justice and Security Affairs condemned the attack and demanded security forces immediately capture the perpetrators, but admitted that the case would likely remain unsolved. Suyanto said:

“Their actions must be stopped although it is difficult to do this because of the hills and dense forests.”

A joint team of the Australian-created Detachment 88 counter-terrorism unit, members of the notorious Nabire-based Indonesian army (TNI) Battalion 753 AVT gave chase to the shooters – according to the police statement – but failed to locate the shooters. Perpetrators for “unknown persons” shootings are rarely located by Police in Papua, despite significant intelligence resources and funding provided to the counter-terror units by the Australian Government.

A West Papua rights activist and former political prisoner Sebby Sambon has told Tabloid Jubi that the work is not that of the TPN, and was far from the areas of operation for troops of TPN leader Goliat Tabuni. he said:

“If it occurred near the TPN-OPM headquarters in Tingginambut, then accusations (that TPN may be involved) may make sense.”

However, according to Sambom, TPN/OPM will not shoot civilians:

“TPN / OPM (is there) to fight for the people. Period. It is not possible to shoot people.”

Sambom, who is in regular contact through the underground network with Tabuni’s men, said there is a group that was playing at Noble. Sambom explained:

“There is a play, therefore, forged evidence. TPN / OPM has made no orders to shoot civilian aircraft.”

Police have accused TPN of involvement without any evidence, according to Sambon. “Is it the TPN / OPM purely firing, or other parties who deliberately do this to create a “project” in Papua?” Sambom said:

“For every event at Noble (field), legal facts have never been substantiated,”

A senior media source told West Papua Media on condition of anonymity, that both Police and military intelligence officers have been sending contradictory SMS messages about the shooting to journalists across Papua. The source told West Papua Media:

“Two SMS messages about Trigana shooting were received from ASINTEL (Assistant Intelligence Commander of the Cenderawasih military district) and two from Kadivhumas (Public Affairs) Police.”

“Asintel told me that the shooter is OPM, but Kadivhumas Police told me that the shooter were “unknown persons”. This is common habits among journalists in Papua. TNI (Indonesian military) will send SMS to journalists to tell them that the shooter is OPM. But the police already know who actually did the shooting in the Puncak Jaya and Freeport area. You know, TNI also has many groups that conducted operations in Papua.”

In a statement obtained by West Papua Media, Indonesian human rights organisation Imparsial suggested that:

The shootings were carried out by elements that want to destabilize the security situation in Puncak Jaya and take advantage of the chaos.

The Executive Director of Imparsial, Poengki Indarti, said

“Shoot civilian aircraft on the holy day of Easter, there are casualties. I guess there is a deliberate manufacture of the situation in Mulia, (so the area) seems to be harboring terrorists.”

Indarti says that serious investigation must occur into events surrounding the shootings in Puncak Jaya.

“I hope the government and security forces act seriously, because Papuans don’t want to dirty their hands with blood of others on Easter Sunday,” she said. “This act was orchestrated to make Mulia a (place) of terrorists, but it is not at all, “said Indarti again.

Imparsial urged the police to immediately identify the imposters with sophisticated intelligence sent to Puncak Jaya.

The Alliance of Independent Journalists Papua Branch has also called for Kogoya’s death to be properly investigated by police, and for them not to fall back on the usual defence of “unknown persons”.

In a statement, the Chairman of the Alliance of Independent Journalists Jayapura, Victor Mambor said:

“The incident is very regrettable. Leiron Kogoya was confirmed as the journalist for Pacific and Papua Post Nabire, and was commissioned by the editors to cover the phase of the elections in Puncak Jaya district.”

“It is clear that Leiron Kogoya was killed while on journalistic assignment, because he flew on the plane ordered by the editors to cover the phases of elections in Puncak Jaya.”

According to AJI Jayapura, the police are supposed to ensure the safety of civilians, including journalists carrying out their journalistic duty.

“To his fellow journalists in Papua, (this is a renewed warning) to always be alert and careful in carrying out journalistic duties, since the recent intimidation and violence against journalists in Papua is increasing in intensity.”

said Mambor. Victor Mambor is also is editor in chief of tabloidjubi.com.

Journalists in Papua are regularly subjected to violence and intimidation by Indonesian security forces, including direct monitoring by intelligence officers in newsrooms. The Pacific Media Freedom Report 2011 documented cases where at least two journalists have been killed in West Papua, five abducted and 18 assaulted in 2011.