Eight Papuans Arrested for Possession of Weapons, Ammunitions

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian security personnel arrested eight people during a raid at house on Freeport road of the Bendungan complex area in Mimiki District, Papua Province, for possession of weapons and ammunition. The raid was conducted on Saturday morning.

During the joint raid, the police and military personnel confiscated 116 bullets, including 104 bullets of 5.56mm caliber ammo, seven molotov cocktails, and a morning-star flag, spokesman of the Papua Police Senior Commissioner A. M. Kamal stated on Saturday.

The security personnel also seized a home-made rifle and a bunch of documents found in the house, Kamal revealed. He said that the raid was launched following an arrest of a suspect, only identified as RW, for carrying 153 bullets to Moses Kilangan airport.

The eight people, identified by their initials as TG, HW, HE, PN, EH, NA, JK, and YW, were arrested during the raid at the house used as the West Papua National Committee office. They might be the national committee activists, he remarked.

The suspects have been taken to the Mimika police precinct for further investigation, Kamal noted.

On Monday (Sept. 10), a 20-year-old student, identified as RW, was detained for bringing 153 bullets to the Moses Kilangin Airport before boarding his flight for Dekai in Yahukimo District, Papua Province. RW placed the ammunition and cash totaling Rp110 million inside his backpack. The airport authorities detected the ammo and money when the bag was placed on the x-ray security detector, he noted.

Several shooting incidents by armed groups occurred in Papua Province in which the victims were not only security personnel but also ordinary people.

National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian opined that the main problems in Papua Province are rooted in economy while referring to the development disparity in the eastern Indonesian province's mountainous regions. "West Papua does not face many problems. The main problems in Papua are only related to its mountainous areas that are not yet developed optimally," he informed journalists in Jakarta recently after attending the swearing-in ceremony of six provincial police chiefs and heads of the police headquarters' internal affairs divisions.

Development in Papua Province's mountainous regions began to be intensified during the era of President Joko Widodo's administration, as was apparent from the Trans-Papua road construction project and the renovation of Wamena Airport in Jaya Wijaya District, he remarked.

However, the police will take stern action against those found violating the law, as many community members and also police officers have become victims of their acts of violence, he added.

ANTARA