Banjir Ambarita, Arientha Primanita & Ismira Lutfia – The National Police have issued warrants for five people allegedly behind the recent series of shootings in Papua's provincial capital Jayapura, adding to three people that were earlier arrested and another who was shot dead in a raid last week.
"We've put five people on the wanted list, based on the development of our investigation. But we cannot publish their identities yet," National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said in Jayapura on Tuesday.
"The National Police chief has ordered for their immediate arrest. The National Police want to settle this case and ensure smooth investigation into the case in order to provide legal certainty and ensure security of every Indonesian citizen," he added.
Boy was in Jayapura on Tuesday to accompany National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo in his meeting with Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. B.L. Tobing, along with Indonesian military (TNI) chief Adm. Agus Suhartono and State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Lt. Gen. Marciano Norman, to discuss the security situation in Papua.
He added that police managed to piece together the five people's alleged roles in the shootings, some of them fatal, partly due to information from locals.
Indonesia's restive Papua province has seen incidences of violence over the years, but the frequency has risen significantly, especially in Jayapura, since the May 29 shooting of a German tourist there.
The National Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said in a press statement earlier this month that at least eight people had died and 15 others were injured in a series of seemingly random attacks since late May, with most of the victims being civilians.
The Indonesian authorities have put the blame on pro-independence groups, leading to a raid on Thursday of last week that led to the death of pro-independence activist Mako Tabuni. Mako's death triggered a riot on the same day, in which angry residents burned vehicles and shops in Waena, Jayapura.
But the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, Djoko Suyanto, who was also on a visit to Jayapura, said on Tuesday that the security situation in the Papuan capital was improving.
"The situation is returning to normal. Public activities and traffic of people and goods are recovering," Djoko said in a text message to Beritasatu.com on Tuesday. "There remains, however, social jealousy between newcomers and native inhabitants," he admitted.
Djoko added that he and some other top central government officials took part on Monday evening in a dialogue with locals, including religious figures and university students, to discuss problems in Papua. He said it was part of a peaceful approach that the Indonesian government was employing in handling the restive province.
Kontras, however, criticized the central government's move, saying it was not the right time for such forums. "What needs to be done right now is, firstly, building the trust of Papuans by evaluating the work of security officers," Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said in Jakarta on Tuesday. (JG/BeritaSatu)