Sevianto Pakiding, Timika, Papua – News of the killings of three suspected rebels during a security operation triggered chaos in Puncak Jaya regency, Papua, on Wednesday, as a mob burned military and police vehicles.
A resident named Peni described the situation as a "dead town" after rioters vandalized vehicles belonging to the local military command.
"Order has been restored, but the situation remains tense," Peni said via a messaging app from Puncak Jaya.
The mob was angered by the deaths of three residents they claimed to be respected members of the community. Rioters took to the streets in Mulia, the capital of Puncak Jaya, protesting the killings after relatives of the deceased demanded an investigation.
The military provided a different account of the incident, stating that three rebels were fatally shot during an operation against a rebel group that had entered a residential area in Karubate, Muara District, carrying firearms.
Lieutenant Colonel Candra Kurniawan, spokesman for the Cenderawasih Military Command overseeing Indonesia's eastern region, said the deceased were members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), which frequently attacks civilian and military targets as well as public facilities.
The three were identified as Sonda Wanimbo (33), Yotenus Wonda (41), and Dominus Wonda (36).
A security operation was launched after a rebel cell led by OPM leader Teranus Enumbi entered a village in Muara on Tuesday, Candra said in a statement.
The group allegedly opened fire at soldiers who tried to capture them, prompting a shootout near a kiosk in Puncak Jaya that resulted in the deaths of three rebels. Government troops seized a pistol and a rebel flag after the operation, Candra said.
"The rebel group's leader, Teranus Enumbi, managed to flee the scene," the officer added.