A leading human rights activist group has blamed poor law enforcement for last Thursday’s murder of eight soldiers and four civilians in Puncak Jaya, Papua.

In a statement on Saturday, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) questioned the police’s effectiveness in enforcing the law in the restive province.

After expressing sadness over the deaths, Kontas coordinator Haris Azhar said: "This series of violent acts are crimes that have to be responded to with legal enforcement."

Haris said that greater transparency in the legal process following such crimes would likely reduce the number of instances of violence in Papua, given the current extent of secrecy.

Kontras data showed that in Puncak Jaya there were 15 cases of violence since the start of last year, including two incidents in which unidentified people snatched firearms from officers.

In the 15 incidents, nine military officers, two police officers and 10 civilians died. One military officer and nine civilians were also hurt.

"The violence in Puncak Jaya doesn’t care about the backgrounds of the victims, whether they are civilians or officers. That’s why we are questioning the model of operations and the security instructions applied in Papua," he said.

The National Liberation Army of the Free Papua Organization (TPN-OPM), which is led by Goliath Tabuni, has claimed responsibility for the deaths of the eight Indonesian Military (TNI) officers in Sinak and Tingginambut, Puncak Jaya.

"All the shootings against the TNI-police officers in Puncak Jaya were purely [committed] by TPN-OPM," Goliath’s confidant told Suara Pembaruan in Jayapura, Papua, on Saturday.

Haris called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to visit Papua and lead the law enforcement operation there.

"The National Police must also meet the requirements as stipulated under the Indonesian criminal law system in upholding justice, which includes involving Komnas HAM [the National Commission on Human Rights] and the National Police Commission in the legal enforcement operation with regard to the Puncak Jaya incidents."

Mahfudz Siddiq, chairman of House of Representatives Commission I, said that officers became a target of violence because the state failed to offer a comprehensive solution to problems in Papua.

He said that Commission I, which oversees defense and foreign affairs, concluded that the separatist movement started targeting military and police officers last year, with the intention of escalating the conflict and drawing international attention.

Mahfudz said a comprehensive solution agreed to by all stakeholders is needed to overcome the problem.

"The comprehensive solution should not be made only by the government but it should be a joint decision by the central government, regional government, the local people and groups, including traditional figures. I think this type of approach should be taken," said the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician.

He added that through such dialogue, the government would have strong grounds to enforce security and to maintain the state’s sovereignty.

Fadli Zon, deputy chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), called the killing of the officers cowardly acts and said the attackers should be punished for them.

"This is a big blow for Indonesia. It was an act of cowardice. The perpetrators have to be revealed and justice must be served," Fadli said in Jakarta on Sunday.

Previously, police officers had been accused of torturing seven civilians in Papua when they tried to get information regarding pro-independence activists Seby Sambon and Terianus Soto.

The incident allegedly took place more than a week ago at the Depapre and Jayapura police stations.

Three civilians claimed that a Depapre officer hit them in the face repeatedly with his shoes, injuring their mouths, noses and foreheads. One of the three has had hearing problems due to the torture, they said. Four other civilians claimed officers at the Jayapura station gave them electric shocks.

National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo denied the violence at Puncak Jaya was retaliation against the alleged torture of the seven civilians, saying that he has not received any report about the incident.

Indonesia officially annexed Papua in 1969 with a United Nations-backed vote, seen by many as a sham, and tensions have persisted ever since.