Komnas HAM office in Jakarta – Supplied
Jayapura, Jubi – Yunus Wonda, the heads of the Papuan Representatives Council (DPR Papua) made the calls after security forces allegedly killed four civilians during an anti-insurgency operation last week that followed the slayings of 17 construction workers by separatist rebels.
“We ask the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) to conduct a thorough investigation. They must investigate not only this December incident, but also what happened last July,” Yunus Wonda, chairman of the council, told Jubi on Monday (10/12/2018).
DPR Papua will set up a special committee to conduct an inquiry into what happened, Yunus added.
But now, he said Nduga is still closed for any civilians, included member of DPR Papua.
Separately, Timotius Murib, chairman of the people’s assembly (MRP), said the MRP has formed a committee to investigate the Dec. 2 and 3 attacks by separatist rebels and also reports from church that mentioned 4 civilians dead during the evacuation.
“Because this MRP is a representative body for Papuan Indigenous People, we don’t see the Nduga case as a separate issue, but part of what has happened so far in Papua,” Timotius added.
Meanwhile on Monday, a local youth leader alleged that security forces shot dead four civilians on Dec. 3 and Dec. 5, including at least one clergyman, while troops were trying to retrieve bodies of the workers killed by TPNPB guerrillas in the Mbua, Yall and Yigi districts of Nduga.
“Two [were killed] in Mbua and two in Yigi. One [of those killed] in Mbua is my uncle. His name is Yulianus Tabuni,” Samuel Tabuni, a Papuan youth leader who once ran for office as the regent of Nduga, told Jubi.
Samuel stated his uncle was a member of the church assembly in Mbua, not involved in separatist movement.
He said relatives told him that government forces had pressured several pastors in the area to give them information about the rebels. (*)
