233 Papuans Not Arrested but Protected from Angry Masses: Police
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Kamis, 1 Januari 1970 07:00 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The East Java Police clarified that the Surabaya Police resort has not arrested 233 college Papuan students and civilians in Surabaya on Sunday, December 2.
East Java Police Spokesman Grand Commissioner Frans Barung Mangera said that police personnel was securing the hundreds of students for protection purposes following a report of a number of mass-organizations provoked by the Papuans that reportedly chanted about Papua’s freedom.
“We, in fact, secured them because there were groups outside that were already triggered, groups like KPPI, Pemuda Pancasila (Pancasila Youths), and many more,” said Frans on Sunday.
Read also: 233 Papua Students Left Surabaya Police Custody
He explained that this was deemed necessary by police since the mass-organizations were already surrounding the area where the students were.
“They chanted slogans that enraged other groups such as the ‘free Papua’ chant. We secured the 233 people to the police station for the sake of their own safety,” Frans explained.
537 people were arrested following the December 1 movement which commemorates Papua`s independence movement. The hundreds were arrested in Kupang, Ternate, Ambon, Manado, Makassar, Jayapura, Asmat, Waropen, and Surabaya. Surabaya was where the movement was concentrated.
ANTARA
