Jayapura police officer detained in PNG

An officer of the Jayapura Police, Papua, has been detained by neighboring Papua New Guinea (PNG) for allegedly illegally crossing the border, Antara state news agency has reported.

The news agency reported that Second Brig. Yohanes was arrested on Wednesday in Wutung, a coastal border area between Indonesia and PNG, in Keerom regency, Papua, and was currently being detained in Vanimo City, PNG.

Adj. Comr. Yan Piter, a top official at the Papua Police directorate of intelligence and security, said the police had contacted the PNG Embassy in Jakarta to ask for the release of the officer through diplomatic channels.

Wutung is a busy commercial border area, visited daily by residents from the two countries, and the borders are usually only closed when either country is holding a major national event, for example, a general election. Although Indonesia will be holding a presidential election next month, it was not confirmed whether the borders were closed during the arrest. (dre)