Leiron Kogoya

Papua Pos Nabire and Pasifik Pos Dail

April 8, 2012, in Mulia, Indonesia

Gunmen opened fire on a small plane landing at an airport in Mulia, a town in the restive Papua region, killing Kogoya and injuring four passengers, according to news reports.

Kogoya, 35, was a reporter for the local newspapers Papua Pos Nabire and Pasifik Pos Dail. "He had returned to the area to meet his family and help with the coverage of elections," Angelbertha Sinaga, the editor of the Papua Pos media group, told reporters, according to news reports.  

Local police pursued the gunmen but lost them in the rugged terrain around the airport, news reports said. Initial news accounts reported that authorities had called it a "terrorist attack," but were unable to establish a motive. Papua is a remote, mountainous, and restive region with anti-government groups sporadically carrying out armed attacks.

The day after the attack, presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha called Kogoya's death "totally unacceptable" and told journalists it "must be solved quickly. Those responsible should be brought to justice." The English-language daily Jakarta Globe reported that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had demanded quick justice in the murder. No arrests had been made in the case.

Medium: Print, Internet

Job: Print Reporter

Beats Covered: Culture, Human Rights, Politics

Gender: Male

Local or Foreign: Local

Freelance: No

Type of Death: Dangerous Assignment

Suspected Source of Fire: Unknown Fire

Related Articles:

• Gunmen fire on plane, kill Indonesian journalist, April 10, 2012