The next trial date is August 1st, 2006. The defendants did appear for this court session, but their defense lawyers did not.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Seven men went on trial Tuesday accused of murdering two American teachers who worked for a U.S. goldmine in Indonesia's Papua province. Prosecutors alleged the men -- all indigenous Papuans -- were members of a small rebel army fighting for a separate state in the resource-rich eastern province.
The suspects could face the death penalty if found guilty. The alleged ringleader, 30-year-old Antonius Wamang, is being tried separately from the six other defendants. State prosecutor Fernando Tulus Siagian said the attackers shot at the teachers' vehicle in the mistaken belief that it was carrying soldiers hired to guard the mine, operated by New Orleans-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Mine Inc.
Killed were Rickey Lynn Spier, 44, of Littleton, Co., and Leon Edwin Burgon, 71, of Sun River, Ore. The killings complicated ties between Jakarta and Washington amid suspicions that Indonesian security forces were involved. The defendants were not required to enter a plea and the trial at the Central Jakarta District Court was adjourned until later this month.