TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The investigators of Puncak District's police precinct are continuing efforts to uncover the shootings of two students in the Gome Utara area of Ilaga Subdistrict, Papua on Friday, which had killed Atanius Murib (16) and injured Manus Murib (16).

The police investigators had met Manus Murib, an 11th grade student of Gome vocational high school (SMK) who sustained a serious gunshot wound on his neck when he was treated at the Ilaga public health center, Papua Police Spokesman Sen.Coms AM Kamal said.

Manus Murib had been evacuated to the Timika Public Hospital in Mimika District on Saturday to receive an intensive medical treatment while the police investigators were striving to uncover those responsible for the shooting incident, he said here Sunday.

Manus Murib was shot by unidentified armed attackers on Friday but he survived the shooting incident. Another victim was identified as Atanius Murib, a student of Ilaga senior high school (SMA).

Puncak Police Chief Adjunct Sen.Coms. Dicky Saragih said earlier that Atanius Murib died at the scene that could only be reached on foot by walking for about 15 hours from Ilaga Subdistrict, Puncak District.

Saragih said Manus Murib survived the shooting incident that occurred at about 06:00 a.m. local time after pretending to be dead. Prior to his evacuation to Timika, he told the police that he and Atanius Murib were attacked on their way to Agandume Subdistrict.

The two students were shot from a height inside a jungle between Agandume and Dume Subdistricts. Their attackers then went down to check the victims, and take a photo of them before leaving the crime scene, he said.

After knowing that the attackers had left the area, Manus Murib told the police that he attempted to seek a help of residents of Jakimaki Village. A priest and several villagers carried Murib to the Ilaga health center to receive a medical care.

Deceased Atanius Murib would be evacuated by his family to be buried in his village, Saragih added.

The Indonesian province of Papua has continued to bear witness to a vicious cycle of violence, with armed Papuan criminal groups in the districts of Intan Jaya and Nduga targeting civilians and security personnel over the past few months.

Intan Jaya recorded its bloodiest month in September this year, with armed groups launching a series of attacks in the area that claimed the lives of two soldiers and two civilians and injured two others.

The notorious armed groups in the Indonesian province continued their acts of terror in October.

On October 9, 2020, for instance, an armed group ambushed a joint fact-finding team (TGPF) set up by the government to investigate a recent shooting in Mamba village, Sugapa sub-district.

In the incident, a TGPF member -- Gadjah Mada University (UGM) lecturer Bambang Purwoko -- was shot in the leg, while a TNI soldier — First Sgt Faisal Akbar of the Hitadipa Task Force — sustained injuries on the waist.

Also Read: Cover-up in Papua

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