Police Urged to Clamp Down on Anti-Indonesian Campaigners in Papua

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hengky Heselo, a native Papuan community leader in Jayawijaya District, Papua Province, appealed to the police to crack down on people and groups that launch anti-Indonesian campaigns and spread slanders through social media platforms.

The anti-Indonesian propagandists in Papua have continued to proliferate hoaxes and unfounded allegations in a bid to disrupt public order and security, Heselo was quoted by ANTARA as saying in Wamena, the capital of Jayawijaya District, on Saturday.

"Fiktor Yeimo, for instance, spread a baseless allegation that Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw has committed a crime against humanity. This amounts to a slander for which Fiktor Yeimo should be brought to justice," he remarked.

The police must come down heavily on people, such as Fiktor Yeimo, for their statements on social media platforms, he asserted while emphasizing that police and military personnel should not be blamed for opening fire at armed Papuan criminals as an act of self-defense.

The anti-Indonesian campaigners have blamed Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw as was apparent from the statements on social media platforms that he had played a role in the exchanges of fire in Puncak Jaya District, he stated.

Heselo defended Waterpauw while saying that the police and military personnel can open fire on attackers in order to protect themselves.

Heselo also noted that several important figures in Jayawijaya District had expressed support for the continuation of the central government's granted special autonomy status in Papua and West Papua provinces for the sake of the Papuan communities' welfare.

The Indonesian province of Papua has time and again witnessed 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 while injured two others.

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

On October 9, 2020, for instance, an armed group ambushed a joint fact-finding team (TGPF) formed 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.

On November 20, 2020, two local students named Atanius Murib and Manus Murib, both 16 years of age, were assaulted by unknown armed attackers. As a result, Atanius Murib died, while Manus Murib sustained a serious gunshot wound.

The Advocate for Papua Policy and Human Rights (PAK HAM) condemned the fatal shooting incident in Ilaga Sub-district, Puncak District, Papua Province, on November 20, 2020, that resulted in the death of Atanius Murib and injured Manus Murib.

Also Read: West Papua Police Nab 36 After Demonstration

ANTARA