The regent of Puncak Jaya wants to know who is supplying civilian groups with bullets in the wake of the fatal shootings of two police officers in the regency on Saturday.
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed two members of a National Police Mobile Brigade special operations unit in Wondegobak village, Puncak Jaya on Saturday: Second Brig. Ferianto Kaluku and Second Brig. Eko Afriansyah.
The bodies of the deceased have been flown to their hometowns, while a third officer injured in the shooting, First Brig. Syukur, has been taken to Bhayangkara Hospital in Jayapura.
The shootings led Puncak Jaya regent Lukas Enembe to question the source of the ammunition used by a local armed civilian group.
“They seized the weapons [from officials], but never run out of ammunition and bullets. The group can attack and disrupt residents with gunshots. Their bullets seem to be continuously flowing. Where do they get the bullets?” Lukas said, as quoted by Antara news agency.
Lukas said that the authorities should investigate the source of the group’s ammunition to cut its supply.
Flight services and other access to Mulia should be monitored if the group was receiving bullets from Jayapura, he added.
“Whatever the source of the bullets, the military, the police and the society must stop it and reveal it,” Lukas said.
Relevant stakeholders should also observe the situation carefully, Lukas said, and disband all illegal or unofficial mass organizations in Papua that may be connected to the armed civilian group.
Tensions have been high in the province since the third Papuan People’s Congress was held from Oct. 16 to 19 in Abepura, Jayapura, when seven people died in three fatal incidents.
Additional Mobile Brigade officers have since been dispatched to the province. Efforts to start peace talks have begun but have yet to yield progress.
On Dec. 1, Papuans commemorated the 50th anniversary of what some called the “independence of West Papua” in virtually every regency in Papua and West Papua. Most of the events were marked by prayers of thanksgiving.
However, the anniversary also witnessed several violent incidents including an attack on a Jayapura Police officer, Second Brig. Ridwan Napitupulu, by unidentified assailants as police stormed a ceremony where the illegal “Morning Star” flag of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) was raised in Berap village in Nimbokran, Jayapura, on Thursday.
The police also took down Morning Star flags raised in Wamena, Jayawijaya and Timika on the day of the anniversary.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto said he regretted the assault by the armed civilian group against the police, who were evacuating people who had contracted malaria in
Mulia district, Papua.
“All stakeholders should act to end the violence,” Djoko said on Saturday.
Lukas said that the group in Puncak Jaya had 60 guns and would continue to attack near its strongholds of Puncak Jaya and Mimika unless all networks connected to it were disbanded.
The Associated Press reported that security forces said hundreds of troops were deployed to Puncak Jaya after the deaths of the two officers on Saturday.