Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – A man was shot dead and four others, including a child, were injured by unidentified armed men on Sunday in Nafri village, Abepura, outside the Papuan capital.
The deceased, Riswandi Yusuf, was riding his motorcycle to a popular fishing spot with his wife Dian when shots were heard. The incident took place about four kilometers outside Jayapura at 9:30 a.m., family members said, quoting Dian.
Dian, who was not hurt in the incident, ran for help. The four injured included 9-year-old Zainal and his father, Alex Nongka. Along with another man, Baharudin, a taxi driver, all are being treated at the Abepura hospital.
The boy "was shot in the left chest, while Alex Nongka and Baharudin were shot in the hand," Jayapura Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Imam Setiawan said. A woman, Lalua S. Bowo, was grazed on the knee.
Alex Nongka said the assailants hid behind a roadside bush and started firing at his motorcycle and a car behind him. Witnesses said four men suddenly fired shots at passersby.
Local councilor Yan Mandenas called for calm and an immediate investigation, into, among others, "those who do not want a peaceful Papua, especially in the run-up to Christmas". "The victims are innocent civilians," he said.
Police later said there were five suspects carrying rifles. Quoting witnesses, police spokesman Snr. Comr. Wachyono said the assailants also carried "arrows and machetes" as well as rifles.
"They were shooting from the direction of the mountain near Jayapura," he was quoted as saying by news portal vivanews.com. There were also reports that the gunmen shot at passing vehicles, including a garbage truck.
Police said they were examining the bullets recovered from the scene, and investigating whether the incident involved the Free Papua Movement (OPM). The OPM is often blamed in shooting incidents where the perpetrators are not known.
Papua is ravaged by incidents of violence, but human rights activists say much of it is carried out by authorities. Activists have long demanded investigations into civilian reports of abuse at the hands of the military.
The latest allegations involve torture and killing by security forces, with some incidents captured on video, believed to be taken by the perpetrators themselves. Earlier this month, a military tribunal in Papua sentenced low-ranking soldiers for assaulting 30 Puncak Jaya residents in March.
In another case, the National Commission for Human Rights said the military had still not identified the perpetrators behind a widely circulated video showing the graphic torture of two Papuans in May.