“It’s a separate incident. It’s different because the location is further up [the hill],” National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar told The Jakarta Post when asked whether it had any link to a spate of previous shootings in Papua.
Papua Police Mobile Brigade officer, First Brig. Mujahidin, was reportedly shot in his right leg on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. Jakarta time) in Mimika regency, Papua, according to Antara news agency.
But Boy could not confirm whether the victim, who is being treated at Kuala Kencana Hospital, was a police mobile brigade officer or what the victim’s exact condition was.
He also said he had yet to be able to determine the perpetrator, the type of weapon the perpetrator had used or the motive for the shooting because he had not managed to communicate with local police.
The shooting took place at Mile Post 43, where United States-based mining company PT Freeport Indonesia operates, according to Freeport spokesman Ramdani Sirait, based on information the company had received on Saturday afternoon.
“We’re giving the authorities our full support in the investigation,” he told the Post.
Violence has escalated recently in Papua, with at least 17 people, including several TNI members, having been killed in different places in the province since last month.
A failure to implement special autonomy granted to Papua has been blamed for the escalating violence.