The National Police on Wednesday accused the group associated with Temy Kwalik, a local Papuan who was linked with the Free Papua Organization (OPM) separatist movement, as being responsible for the deadly shooting of one of its Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers.
On Tuesday, Brimob member First Brig. Ronald Supamena was shot dead by an unknown assailant while on a routine patrol inside the PT Freeport Indonesia mining site.
“The gunman is suspected to be from Temy Kwalik’s group,” Papua police spokesman Sr. Comr. Wahyono said as quoted by tribunnews.com.
Ronald was the fourth Brimob officer killed at Papua in the last three months. In December, three Brimob officers were killed while on duty in the restive region, including Second Brig. Ridwan Napitupulu, Second Brig. Ferianto Kaluku and Second Brig. Eko Afriansyah.
Papua Customary Council (DAP) representative John Gobai told The Jakarta Post in December that the deployment of Brimob to Papua had not been welcomed by the local Papuans, describing Brimob personnel as “identical with violence” in the eyes of many Papuans since the police’s special operations unit “preferred to beat the people in their security operations”. (sat)