Wamena – With the apparent approval of the governor of Papua, Yab Solosa, a joint military unit composed of Kopassus, Kostrad 413 and Rapid Reaction Force troops took action in the direction of the District of Kuyawage, west of Wamena, and burnt down the homes of inhabitants, as well as schools, medical centres and teachers' homes.
Livestock in the kampungs located round Kuyawage were also destroyed. Five kampungs; Yugume, Luarem, Wupaga, Nenggeagen and Mume, were burnt to the ground and the inhabitants fled to nearby forests. Officials from the clinics and teachers also fled although they had been permitted to remain in the kampungs wearing their official uniforms.
PK (35), an official of the Baptist Church who received a report about the incident from local people, said that the joint military operation had been underway since Saturday, 19 April, beginning with Yugume and Lauren kampungs which lie to the south of Kuyawage.
The troops then moved in the direction of Wupaga which lies in the centre of Kuyawaga. From there, they went to two kampungs west of Kuyawage, Nenggeogim and Mume. PK also said that the military were expected to continue their operations on Tuesday, going in the direction of four kampungs, Uwome, Pulau, Tumbugur and Nguari which lie to the north of Kuyawag.
Precise information about the number of homes burnt down is not yet available. Whereas in Kuyawage the troops burnt down kampungs without anyone stopping them, a similar operation in Kurima, to the south of Wamena, was opposed by First Lieutenant Pilius Wenda (56), the military commander of Kurima. Because he opposed the operation, he was severely beaten up and thrown into a military police cell in Wamena, Jayawijaya. Despite opposition from the local military commander, it would appear that Kostrad 413 troops together with Briimob commander Sem Itlay are still deterimined to continue with the sweepings.
During a sweeping operation, police officer Sem Itlay arrested and maltreated Soleman Hesegem (35) and Paulina Lantipo, (24) from the kampung of Meaukuloa in the village of Anjelma, Kurima district. Paulina Lantipo (24), who is the wife of Soleman Hesegem, was held firmly by the neck and then stripped naked. by the police officer. Soleman was taken into custody for allegedly being in contact with two members of TPN/OPM, Mickhael Heselo (39) dan Maijend TPN/OPM Yanto Tabuni.
According to a report from Elsham's post in Wamena, Mickhael Heselo and Soleman Hesegem were recently detained and taken to Kurima for interrogation but were later released.
The sweeping operations currently underway remind us of an operation on 12 May 1998 in the kampungs of Bela, Alama and Mapnduma, in the District of Wamena, when troops dropped into the area burnt down 166 homes and 13 churches. A total of 213 people subsequently died because of lack of food and medicines. Twenty people were killed and seven women were raped.