TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Army said they and the police will evacuate victims of shooting by armed groups in Nduga District, Papua today. The law enforcement will evacuate the workers and employees of PT Istaka Karya and TNI members who are victims of the incident.
Commander of the XVII Cenderawasih Kodam Maj. Gen. Joshua Sembiring said the armed forces and the police will dispatch troops both on land and water, assisted by helicopters.
"For the initial phase, the troops will evacuate the victims around Yigi and Mount Tabo," Joshua told Antara on Wednesday, December 5. He said that he couldn’t tell for sure how many will be evacuated.
Read also: TNI Deploy More Personnel to Evacuate Victims of Papua Killings
At present, said Joshua, he and the Papua Regional Police Chief Insp. Gen. Martuani Sormin are still in Wamena. He said the officers are racing against time as weather changes quickly in the evacuation site.
On Tuesday, December 4, joint forces of the army and police evacuated 12 civilians from Mbua. Four of them were employees of PT Istaka who managed to escape and were secured at the TNI Mbua Post. They were also attacked by same armed groups, leading to the death of a TNI member.
Thirty-one workers of the Trans Papua road project who were building bridges at Yigi River and Aurak River in Nduga Regency were allegedly killed by an armed group on Sunday night, December 2. The Papua Police suspect that 24 people were killed on the first day, while eight people tried to escape—seeking refuge in the home of a DPRD member. Seven of them were "picked up" and killed by the armed men, while one is still missing.
ANTARA
