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Police to tone down security crackdown in Papua for holiday season
Police will continue covert operations to hunt down an armed rebel group.
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National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian. (kompas.com/Ambaranie Nadia)
N
ational Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian has called on his personnel to tone down for the Christmas and New Year celebrations a security crackdown in Nduga regency, Papua, that was initially aimed at pursuing an armed group with ties to the Free Papua Movement (OPM)
“I’ve called for a ceasefire to respect Papuan residents who celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve,” Tito said on Thursday as quoted by kompas.com.
However, he added that security personnel would still continue covert operations.
At least 20 people were killed by the armed group in Nduga regency early this month, including 19 workers of state-owned construction company PT Istaka Karya. They were part of a construction crew assigned to build a 275-kilometer toll-road section connecting Wamena and Mamugu as part of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s flagship trans-Papua road project.
One Indonesian Military (TNI) soldier was also killed.
Tito said the National Police would secure other infrastructure projects in Papua following the recent attack. (ivy/swd)
