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Rights body pushes for Wamena incident investigation
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Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Mathius D. Fakhiri speaks to reporters on the progress of a security operation to release New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens on Feb. 14. (The Jakarta Post/Antara )
T
he National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has urged law enforcement authorities to investigate last week's deadly riots in Wamena, Papua, triggered by rumors that a child had been abducted.
"We are encouraging law enforcement agencies to take steps towards uncovering what happened during the incident," Komnas HAM chairperson Atnike Nova Sigiro said in a statement on Friday, calling on authorities to assist families of victims and survivors in recovering from the traumatic event.
The commission has also urged everyone to refrain from violence and instead use a pro-human-rights approach when responding to the incident in Papua, enlisting the help of community and religious leaders there to cool down tensions.
Komnas HAM, she added, would be communicating with the local administration, the police and the military, as well as with community leaders, churches and civil organizations in Papua to monitor the situation.
The Papua Police said on Friday that the turmoil in Wamena has de-escalated, with the Regional Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimda) having taken joint steps to create a conducive situation and communicate with local community leaders.
The riots on Thursday started after locals, angered by rumors, started throwing rocks at Wamena Police station, which was holding under custody two persons accused of abducting a six-year-old. Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Mathius Fakhiri said the police tried to mediate but that failed to stem the violence and buildings were set ablaze in the area. Security forces responded by opening fire to disperse the crowds.
The police on Saturday revised the death toll in the riot to 12 civilians from 10 a day before.
