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Separatists blamed for Papua's chopper attack

Source
Jakarta Post - March 28, 2013

The Archipelago – The Papua Police reportedly has identified the gunmen who attacked a missionaries' helicopter in Puncak Senyum, Puncak Jaya, Papua.

The Bell 206 JetRanger helicopter was manned by a German pilot and was on a flight to pick up two missionaries from Lumo village. There were no fatalities in the incident, but two bullet holes were found in the front window.

"Based on our investigation, the attackers fired from the hilly area in Puncak Senyum and the only people who live in the area are an armed group led by PW [Puron Wenda]," Papua Police Chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian told reporters on Thursday.

Puron Wenda was allegedly involved in a number of attacks against civilians and police officers in the Puncak Jaya area. It is believed that he started his operations in 2010. The police, however, have yet to arrest any of the groups' members.

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