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By APD writer Aditya Nugraha
JAKARTA, Aug. 28 (APD) - One army troop and two civilians were killed in riot that occurred in Papua province’s regency of Deiyai on Wednesday, Indonesia’s Papua Police Chief Rudolf Rodja said.
Rodja said the riot was developed from a demonstration in front of Deiyai regent office to protest the arrest of Papuan students in East Java mid this month.
The demonstration was continuing similar protests that turned into riots in several cities in Papua and West Papua provinces in the last few weeks.
Rodja said that at least 1,000 ones came to the demonstration scene and attacked police and military personnel besieged in the location.
“They seized 10 rifle guns and bullets from the trucks used by military personnel. They also attacked troops and police in the location with arrows and machetes,” Rodja said in Timika, Papua.
With the rifle guns they seized from the military trucks they shot joint personnel that led to fire exchange.
He said that security in the location has been restored in the afetrnoon.
The killed troop was identified as Second Sergeant Rikson, Papua province’s Cendrawasih Military Command Headquarters Spokesperson Lieut. Col. Eko Daryanto said.
Body of the killed soldier would be transported to Jakarta on Thursday after being transited in the province’s township of Nabire, he added.
Besides killing a troop, the clash in Deiyai regency has injured two troops and three police personnel.
Indonesian Police Headquarters Spokesperson Dedi Prasetyo said that efforts to further assure the security restoration in Deiyai are being carried at present.
“We also team up with local public figures to restore the security, reminding people for not to get easily provoked,” Dedi said here.
He suspected that separatist groups have used the protest in Deiyai to launch attacks against the joint police and military personnel.
String of riots have occurred in the last few weeks in Indonesia’s easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua cities following the arrest of Papuan students studying in Java that marred with perceived ethnic discrimination issue.
Separatist groups in the two provinces have escalated their activities in the past several months targeting Indonesian police and military personnel in their aim to set up an independent country in the easternmost provinces.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
