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Four Papuan civilians shot dead by unidentified group
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Children from the Papua Seventh Day Advent Church stage a peaceful rally to call for an end to violence against children in Jayapura, Papua, in 2016. (thejakartapost.com/Nethy Dharma Somba)
F
ive civilians, including minors, were reportedly shot by unidentified assailants in two separate incidents in Papua’s Puncak regency last Friday.
Four of them died immediately, while the fifth managed to escape, according to accounts from the victims’ relatives.
The first two victims were Manus Murib, 17, and Atanius Wuka, 17, senior high school students from Ilaga district. They were allegedly shot on their way home from Kota Mulia district to Agandugume district.
“On a school holiday, the two just wanted to go home to their parents to celebrate Christmas,” said Molu Talenggen, the cousin of Manus, in an interview with The Jakarta Post over the weekend.
Based on Manus’ account of the incident, Molu said Manus and Atanius came across armed people clad in black in the wilderness when they arrived in Jaiti village, North Gome district, at 11 a.m.
Molu claimed the unidentified men had given the students guns to hold while they took pictures of them.
"Manus felt uncomfortable, so he quickly ran away before being shot at three times,” Molu claimed.
