P

apua'€™s local officials have deplored the shooting of police officers in Lanny Jaya regency, urging members of the public to supply authorities with information about the armed civilian groups that allegedly committed the crime.

'€œIt was a sadistic crime. The perpetrators did not only shoot the victims but also tortured them,'€ Lanny Jaya Regent Befa Jigibalom said on Thursday.

Befa urged the police and military to quickly catch the armed groups that had so far reportedly killed 30 officers and stolen 20 firearms this year.

Papua Legislative Council speaker Derk Tambuni also condemned the killings, calling on people to not give protection to the armed groups.

'€œI have called on the public to give information on the armed groups to security authorities to help bring about arrests,'€ Derk remarked.

He said the rampant shootings had disrupted the development of the province. '€œHow can we build our area if we are always disturbed by shootings?'€ he asked.

Monday'€™s shooting in Lanny Jaya has left two officers and a civilian dead. Six people were shot dead in Papua in July alone.

On Wednesday, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Papua chapter head Frits Ramandey called on local leaders to speak out against the shootings.

'€œRegents and residents must renounce violence. Gun crime will prevail if they remain quiet,'€ Frits said.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (Imparsial) has expressed hope that the armed groups would be arrested soon.

'€œWe deplore the repetition of a shooting incident that has killed two police personnel in Lanny Jaya. We hope the police will soon arrest the shooters and take them to court,'€ Executive Director of Imparsial for Jakarta Poengky Indarti was quoted as saying by Antara on Wednesday.

Regional leaders must help police during negotiations and help create public calm, Poengky remarked.

'€œSecurity matters are not merely the responsibility of the police, but also of district heads and governors,'€ she added.

The two dead officers were Second Brig. Zulkifli and Second Brig. Prayoga, while the wounded officers were Second Brig. Alex Numbery and First Brig. Helsky Bonyadone.

The incident occurred while the officers were visiting villagers as part of a community counseling program.

In the meantime, five police officers who were shot by unidentified gunmen in Indawa Village, Lanny Jaya District of Papua, in a separate incident on Monday are currently undergoing intensive medical treatment at the National Police'€™s Hospital in Jayapura.

The Jayapura National Police Hospital'€™s spokesperson Senior Police Commissary Dr. Raymond has confirmed the news of the shooting. One officer is in critical condition and is also being treated at the Jayapura police hospital.

'€œWe are still observing and monitoring the current condition of First Brigadier Helsky Bonyadone, as the bullet is lodged in a vital organ,'€ Raymond stated on Wednesday.

Four police officers who were on duty at the Lanny Jaya police station were also hospitalized, but are expected to be released from hospital in a day or two and will thereafter undergo outpatient treatment.

The gunshot wounds suffered by the four other police officers were not as serious as that suffered by Helsky, so they can be allowed to go home, noted Raymond.

Officer Zulkifli was laid to rest on Tuesday at the Waena Kusuma Bangsa National Heroes Cemetery, Jayapura, while Officer Prayoga was buried on Wednesday in his hometown in Semarang, Central Java.