Following a number of shootings of inhabitants in the district of Dogiyai in the past few weeks, the place is now like a ghost town. Many of the inhabitants along with their wives and children have left town.

"All the offices are closed and nothing is happening here any more because all the inhabitants have fled," Hanen Sendu, head of public relations of the district, told Bintang Papua over the phone.

He said that during sweepings by the police and the security forces, a number of houses were burnt to the ground. "This is now regarded as a 'red' (ie highly dangerous) zone by the security forces," he said.

According to inhabitants from Dogiyai, a number of homes near the Moanemani building where agricultural training was taking place have been burnt down by security forces who were sent there by Brimob based in Enarotali. "They arrived from Enarotali and burnt down people's homes," according to a source in the area.

Many young people from Dogiyai are not going to school any more because the security forces have spread fear among the local people. "The women and children have also left. We were being shot at all the time and we were very afraid, so we have left Dogiyai," they said, according to a brief message received from the area.

A member of the local legislative assembly, Frits Agapa said that young people were also afraid and have fled into the forests and to kampungs in a nearby district. "This is not a war, but when the security behave like this, nobody would want to accept such treatment."

A few young people who remained in Dogiyai say that they are afraid to leave their homes because they are afraid of being shot at just like their colleagues were shot at a few days ago. "The security forces are shooting people for no reason at all," said one person living in the area.