TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said he had not found the right term for the group that killed the Istaka Karya workers in Nduga, Papua.

“The term will bring the implication on who does what. [So], we can yet to decide,” he said in Jakarta, Wednesday, December 5.

Moeldoko said the Istaka Karya incident was a major event occurred in the forest area. The perpetrators were equipped with weapons. “Don’t be forced to use the term of an armed criminal group,” he said.

According to Moeldoko, if the perpetrators only commit criminal acts, the police must deal with them. However, if it is called as an armed movement, only the TNI (Indonesian Military) can handle it, as based on the rules.

Read: TNI Deploy More Personnel to Evacuate Victims of Papua Killings

Moeldoko said that a discussion between the government and the house of representatives (DPR) must first be done before using a term. In the near future, there will be a political response. “A political decision is probably needed to determine the term,” he said.

The Deputy Chief of Information for the XVII/Cenderawasih Military District Command Lt. Col. Infantry Dax Sianturi suspected that the murderer of 31 Istaka Karya workers in Nduga, Papua, was an armed group led by Egianus Kogoya.

Until now, Dax Sianturi has not been able to ensure the number of victims due to the shooting by the armed group since the Military (TNI) and Police joint team had not arrived at the suspected location of the killing. “We cannot confirm before we get the authentic evidence,” he said.

The shooting of the Istaka Karya workers was suspected carried out by the armed group on December 2, at around 3:30 p.m. in Kali Yigi and Kali Aura in Yigi District, Nduga Regency, Papua.

FRISKI RIANA