Jayapura, Jubi – Papua Police confirmed fifteen dead in the shooting incident reportedly occurred in Puncak Kabo, Yal Sub-district, Nduga Regency. Papua Police Public Affairs Chief Senior Commissionaire Ahmad Musthofa Kamal said 19 people shot in the incident that caused 15 deaths. Currently, the fifteen corpses have successfully concentrated in one location for evacuation on Thursday (06/12/2018).
“So, the total of shooting victims are 19 which 15 died, three injured while one survived and had evacuated on Tuesday (04/12/2018),” said Kamal in the press conference held at Jayawijaya Regional Police Headquarter on Wednesday night (05/12/2018).
Further, Kamal said the joint evacuation team discovered all victims in Yal Sub-district and continued searching for other victims who worked for PT. Istaka Karya that consist of a field manager and twenty-four workers.
Earlier, Military Public Affairs Chief Colonel Muhamad Aldi stated that a criminal group had executed the employees of PT. Istaka Karya in a location identified as Puncak Kabo.
It begins with the locals’ complaint
Separately, the Rev. Dr Benny Giay, the Chairperson of Papuan Kingmi Church Synod, said the incident that reportedly killed 24 workers of road construction in Nduga Regency triggered by a suspected military member who took a picture of the community worship on 1 December 2018.
“There’s worship attended by the community, local government and a man who’s suspected military member,” Giay forwarded a message from a resident to Jubi on Wednesday (05/12/2018).
“When residents saw him taking the pictures, they were scared. So, they asked the guy to remove his photos, but he denied,” added Giay.
He then left the scene and went to the military post, while people couldn’t make him delete his pictures.
Meanwhile, the worship continued to 2 December 2018. The residents who came to the event asked him to remove the photos. Then, there was gunfire near the military post that caused more than ten casualties.
“This is a sequence,” he said.
Moreover, the Rev. Giay added that a polemic whether the dead victims are civilians or soldiers, it should refer to the policy of President Joko Widodo during his visit in Wamena in 2016.
“The point is that President Widodo has trusted the military to build the road following his visit to Wamena in 2016,” he said.
Soon after this agreement in January 2017, the West Papuan Liberation Army who’s has power over this region refused the road construction and gave a war threat.
Therefore, according to Giay, no wonder if the locals suspected the workers as the army. They reckon that ordinary people might not want to work in the region under the security threat.
Separately, the Corporate Secretary of PT. Istaka Karya Yudi Kristanto confirmed that there were 28 workers joined in the bridges construction project in the Yigi River and Aworak River located in Nduga Regency Papua. He also ensured that there had never been any problems regarding their construction project there.
Meanwhile, Papua Police stated that a survivor Bharatu Wahyu who’s a member of Mobile Brigade also evacuated to Wamena public hospital on Wednesday night (5/12). He got shot at the right arm, left shoulder and neck in the gunfire when the security forces attempted to find the victims.
“The plan is to evacuate the bodies to Wamena because most of their families are living in Wamena. But it depends on the weather, if it’s bad we’ll send them all to Timika,” said Kamal.
According to him, soon they’ve got the news of 31 dead; the joint security force immediately came to the scene for confirmation. Therefore, it was only the initial information.
Meanwhile, Jayawijaya Police Chief Adjunct Senior Police Commissionaire Yan Pieter Reba appealed the victims’ families and those who want to find further information about the victims to come to Jayawijaya Police
Headquarter or Military District Command 1702/Jayawijaya.
“We provide a post in the police headquarter and military district command as well. So, if people want the information about their families, they can come directly to these posts for checking the truth,” he said. (*)
