Indonesia deploys more troops to Papua amid unrest

[News_Editor]

Indonesia deploys more troops to Papua amid unrest

2011-10-25 23:13:21 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAYAPURA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- The government of Indonesia on Tuesday deployed hundreds of troops to Papua where tensions remain high amid protesting Freeport workers and renewed manifestations by separatist groups.

Indonesian Criminal Investigation Chief Commander General Sutarman confirmed that around 300 military personnel will be transported to Papua to increase security in the region. He also called on the people not to be wary of the area's future.

In the past two weeks, several people have been shot dead in Papua, although no significant arrests have been made. After Monday's fatal shooting of Mulia Police chief Adjutant Commander Dominggus Oktavianus Awes, National Police chief General Timur Pradopo said all police officers in Papua, especially in Puncak Jaya regency, were on high alert.

On Monday, police chief Dominggus was at the local airport when two men lunged at him and pinned him down before shooting him in the head, killing him. Police blamed the attack on separatist rebels although no arrests were immediately made. Pradopo said police have set up an investigation team to find the perpetrators.

The Free Papua Organization (OPM) however has denied the allegations. "We are not responsible for that. I don't know about it; it must be crosschecked. They should not be making accusations like that," OPM coordinator Lambertus Pekikir said after the allegations were made by police.

The incident came less than a week after Indonesian security forces fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse a gathering of pro-independence activists in the town of Abepura. At least five people were found dead near the venue.

Police opened fire after a political declaration regarding the self-determination of the indigenous Papuan population was read out and activists raised the Morning Star separatist flag during the Papuan People III Congress.

And earlier this month, a group of unidentified gunmen ambushed PT Freeport's concession area, killing three people and seriously injuring another. It happened one week after three mine workers were killed in the Mimika district of Papua when unidentified gunmen opened fire against the vehicle the workers were riding.

The deadly incidents also came just days after a demonstration of striking Freeport workers took a violent turn. At least seven people were shot during the protests when thousands of mine workers rallied, demanding a substantial pay raise. A civilian and a police officer were killed.

The Freeport mine has been linked to regional friction as locals argue that only a small fraction of the mine's revenue goes to the workers and regional development. Furthermore, friction has also been linked to the mine's environmental impact as it is located in what used to be a small equatorial mountain glacier on the high point of Puncak Jaya, Indonesia's highest mountain.

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