TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Armed group set kiosks on fire in Papua

Nethy Dharma Somba (The Jakarta Post)
Jayapura, Papua
Sun, November 5, 2017

Share This Article

Change Size

Armed group set kiosks on fire in Papua Five kiosks owned by local people in Kampung Utikini, Mimika, Papua, were set ablaze by an armed group at 2 a.m. on Sunday. There were no casualties in the incident. (Courtesy of Papua Police/file)

C

ivilians were reportedly on the receiving end of attacks by armed assailants who set kiosks on fire following attacks against security personnel around a mining area operated by PT Freeport Indonesia in Tembagapura, Mimika regency, Papua.

“Five kiosks owned by local people in Kampung Utikini were set ablaze by an armed group at 2 a.m. on Sunday,” Mimika Police chief Adj. Sr. Cmr. Victor D Mackbon told journalists on Sunday.

There were no casualties as the owners had not been in theirs kiosks at that time, he added.

The arsons occurred just some 100 meters from the Tembagapura Police dormitory. The owners had left the scene on Oct. 24 following shots fired at an ambulance carrying a patient, a doctor and nurses from Utikini to Tembagapura Hospital, Victor said.

The arsons occurred just some 100 meters from the Tembagapura Police dormitory.
The arsons occurred just some 100 meters from the Tembagapura Police dormitory. (Courtesy of Papua Police/file)

He added that, before the kiosks were set ablaze, an unidentified gunman had been seen crossing the street to the location, and not long after that the fire started.

A fire exchange reportedly took place between the assailants and members of the Police’s Mobile Brigade (Brimob) during the blaze.

Read also: Govt seeks to ensure security in Papua

Papua Police spokesman Sr. Cmr. AM Kamal said armed people had also opened fire on vehicles belonging to PT Freeport in the area between Mile 69 and Ridge Camp, hitting a windshield and a door. Only bulletproof vehicles pass the route after the incident.

A Brimob officer died in an exchange of fire with armed assailants, also in Utikini, in late October, amid escalated attacks in the mining area. (rin)

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.