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Six arrested over election violence in Puncak Jaya
Police report that the five-month-long conflict has claimed a total of nine lives and left around 420 people injured. Additionally, at least 179 buildings and 28 vehicles have been set on fire by both groups.
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A voter inserts a ballot during the 2024 simultaneous regional elections into a ballot box at a polling station in Sitaro, North Sulawesi, on Nov. 27, 2024. (Antara/Yegar Sahaduta Mangiri)
T
he Central Papua Police have arrested six individuals in connection with a series of violent clashes between rival supporters of two regent candidates in Puncak Jaya, Central Papua, clashes that have resulted in at least nine deaths since November.
“These individuals are being questioned to determine their roles in these violent conflicts,” said Central Papua Police chief Brig. Gen. Alfred Papare on Wednesday, as reported by Tempo.
He also revealed that authorities had seized a range of weapons from both groups, including around 8,700 arrows, nearly 500 bows, 18 axes, two air rifles, 2,500 slingshots, one makeshift cannon and 500 machetes.
Puncak Jaya’s regency election was fiercely contested between former regent Yuni Wonda and his running mate Mus Kogoya, and deputy speaker of the Puncak Jaya Legislative Council (DPRD) Miren Kogoya and his running mate Wendi.
The Miren-Wendi pair secured 111,000 votes, around 56 percent of the 196,000 votes cast, during the simultaneous regional elections on Nov. 27 last year. Meanwhile, the Yuni-Mus pair received 85,800 votes, approximately 43 percent of the total vote in the regency.
However, Yuni filed a petition with the Constitutional Court, challenging Miren’s victory after the election. He claimed that Miren's supporters had attacked the local General Elections Commission (KPU) office and forcibly taken voting ballots designated for several districts in the regency.
Last month, the Constitutional Court ordered the KPU to recount votes in 22 out of 26 districts in the regency, which led to renewed violent clashes between supporters of the two camps.
