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Govt defends law enforcers in Papua shooting
The public should not be too quick to place blame on the law enforcers allegedly involved in a recent deadly shooting in Papua as the incident might have been triggered by unknown parties, a senior minister has said
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T
he public should not be too quick to place blame on the law enforcers allegedly involved in a recent deadly shooting in Papua as the incident might have been triggered by unknown parties, a senior minister has said.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno said a report he received from Army chief of staff (Kasad) Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo indicated the involvement of unidentified groups in the shooting.
'According to the Kasad, the gunshots [during the incident] came from different directions. We have to investigate where these [bullets] came from. Don't blame the law enforcers,' he said, speaking to reporters after accompanying President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport prior to the latter's departure to South Korea, on Wednesday.
Five people were killed and dozens others injured on Monday morning when police allegedly opened fire on protesters in Paniai, Papua.
Paniai Customary Council head John Gobay said the shooting took place as residents from Togokotu village were gathering at a field commonly referred to as Suharto field to protest against an incident that occurred the previous night.
Gobay said the residents performed the waita tribal dance in Paniai after setting fire to a black SUV that was believed to have been used by perpetrators who assaulted residents gathering at a Christmas event in Ipakiye village, East Paniai.
The police, meanwhile, claimed they had heard gunshots from a nearby mountain as they were trying to negotiate with protesters.
According to Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Yotje Mende, at the same time, around 200 residents marched to the subdistrict military command (Koramil) office and ran amok. Yotje said after vandalizing the Koramil office, the mob headed to a subprecinct police station and hurled rocks through the windows, injuring three police personnel.
Amid the police's ongoing investigation into the incident, Tedjo reassured that the situation in the city had returned to normal.
"I've spoken with the [Indonesian Military] commander and there have been talks with the local community,' he said.
'There have been talks to settle [the conflict] by performing a traditional ceremony, for example the rock-burning [ceremony]."
The rock-burning ceremony ' an earthy cooking method where food is cooked with the heat of hot rocks placed in a hole in the ground covered by leaves and grass ' is an age old ritual in Papuan tribes. The indigenous Papuans perform the ritual on various occasions. (++++)
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