Banjir Ambarita & Ulma Haryanto – The temperature in the restive province of Papua rose again after an armed attack over the weekend left two police officers dead and prompted villagers to flee as more security troops were deployed.

National Police spokesman Maj. Gen. Saud Usman Nasution told Agence France-Presse that hundreds of troops had been deployed in the separatist stronghold of the Puncak Jaya highlands since the attack on Saturday.

Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Wachyono said that an unidentified armed group had first opened fire at the officers, who were evacuating colleagues stricken with malaria.

"There was an exchange of fire for about 30 minutes between police and the attackers, whom we are still chasing," he said, adding that the perpetrators were believed to be members of the separatist Free Papua Organization (OPM). "Two policemen died after being shot in the head, and another was injured in the thigh," he said.

The bodies of the victims, both with the Mobile Brigade (Bri mob), were flown back to their families in Jakarta and Makassar – The injured officer was evacuated to the provincial capital of Jayapura.

Rev. Socratez Sofyan Yoman, a Papuan religious leader, cautioned against a large-scale police response that could hurt civilians. "This will lead to a wild chase by the officers, sweeps and raids in villages," he said. "People will have to flee because they are afraid and intimidated."

Jules K, a local resident, said that after the shooting on Saturday, a church and several houses at Wandengg obak village were burned down by Brimob officers.

"The burning of houses and honais [traditional homes] happened at 3:30 p.m., just a few minutes after the shooting," he said. "A church was also burned." He also said that following Saturday's incident, most of the villagers in the district were seeking refuge in other villages.

Ridha Saleh, deputy chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), echoed Socratez's concerns and urged the police not to act in "blind rage."

"The police should not be reckless or foolhardy. They must not act blindly, which can cause more casualties of regular people than perpetrators," he said. Socratez said such armed attacks, if they were in fact the work of OPM, were hurting the chances that a long-demanded dialogue between the Indonesian government and the Papuan people would take place.

"These provocations stigmatize Papuans as violent people. And this will reduce our chances of establishing a peaceful dialogue," he said.

Both Socratez and Ridha, however, said the police should not immediately blame OPM for the attacks. "It is rather silly to think that a group of civilians can arm themselves and become skillful shooters just like that," Socratez said.

"To me, the Papuan people have long been live target practice for military officers. So when they blame the shootings on OPM, it's kind of hard to believe. If they accuse OPM, then they are accusing the OPM that has been coached by military officers, not the true OPM. The true OPM are pursuing peaceful methods through dignified dialogue."

Ridha said that based on Komnas HAM's investigation, local authorities' accusations against OPM have not been proven. "We can't point our fingers," he said. "It's true that the police need to do their job but they have to engage in a dialogue."

Djoko Suyanto, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, deplored the ambush by the armed groups against police officers. "All parties must cease this violence," Djoko was quoted as saying by Antara.