Insp.Gen.Mathius D. Fakhiri said he, therefore, could not confirm the reliability of reports posted on social media platforms saying that Sokoy had been taken hostage by the separatist terrorists.
"We cannot yet make sure whether the reports are reliable or not, and we cannot confirm Gerald Sokoy's condition either," he told ANTARA in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, on Friday.
According to information posted on social media platforms, the Lamek Taplo-led armed group will free Sokoy through a local church so he can reunite with his family, he said.
However, the reliability of the information has not been confirmed yet, he added.
Security personnel stationed in Kiwirok sub-district, Pegunungan Bintang district, Papua province have not yet confirmed the credibility of reports on Sokoy's release posted on social media platforms, Fakhiri said.
The search for Sokoy has continued, but security personnel have yet to locate his whereabouts, he added.
On the morning of September 13, 2021, several members of the Lamek Tablo-led separatist terrorist group had reportedly torched several public facilities, including a public health center, and homes in Kiwirok.
The separatist terrorists also got into a gun fight with Indonesian security personnel during which one army personnel sustained minor injuries on his right arm after a bullet ricocheted and struck him.
The wounded army personnel has been identified as 1st Private Ansar from the 403/WP Infantry Battalion.
The Papuan terrorists also reportedly assaulted and tortured several health workers from the Kiwirok Public Health Center.
A female healthcare worker, identified as Gabriela Meilan, died after being tortured by the terrorists, said officials.
On September 17, 2021, the wounded soldier and nine healthcare workers who survived the terrorists' brutality were evacuated from Kiwirok sub-district in Pegunungan Bintang district to Jayapura city.
The health workers have been identified as Lukas Luji, Marthinus Deni Setya, Siti Khotijah, Dr.Restu Pamanggi, Marselinus Ola Atanila, Patra, Emanuel Abi, Katrianti Tandila, and Kristina Sampe Tonapa.
The evacuees were transported on a Caracal transport military helicopter to the capital of Papua province to Marthen Indey Hospital for medical treatment.
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To allow the government to boost development in the two easternmost provinces, the House of Representatives (DPR) ratified a bill amending the Papua Special Autonomy Law No.21 of 2001 on July 15, 2021.
House Speaker Puan Maharani highlighted the importance of the newly-enacted bill, saying it was long-awaited by native Papuan communities of Papua and West Papua.
In response to the enactment of the bill, West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan said the passing of the revised Papua special autonomy law by the House in July was a milestone for sustainable development.
It would help boost the prosperity of all indigenous Papuans in Papua and West Papua Provinces, he said.
However, while the government has been making efforts towards achieving sustainable development in Papua and West Papua, Papuan separatist terrorists have been disrupting such development through terror campaigns.
On December 2, 2018, for instance, a group of Papuan terrorists brutally killed 31 workers from PT Istaka Karya, who were working on the Trans Papua project in Kali Yigi and Kali Aurak in Yigi sub-district, Nduga district, Papua province.
The Papuan terrorists' campaigns of terror continued this year. On April 8-9, 2021, Papuan separatist terrorists shot dead two teachers and set junior and senior high school buildings ablaze in Beoga sub-district, Puncak district.
On August 22, 2021, a terrorist group attacked several construction workers of PT Indo Mulia Baru, who were responsible for erecting a bridge on Brazza River in Yahukimo district.
Two workers, identified as Rionaldo Ratu Roma and Dedi Imam Pamungkas, died in the attack, according to director of Papua Police's Criminal Investigation Unit, Sen.Coms.Faisal Rahmadani.
The attackers also set their bodies and their pick-up truck on fire, he informed.
Members of the terrorist group also attacked several personnel from the Indonesian Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) unit when they went to the site of the shooting to evacuate the deceased workers' bodies, he said.
Four Brimob personnel sustained minor injuries, he said, adding that several construction workers were evacuated to Dekai, the capital of Yahukimo district, for safety reasons.
Members of the Tenius Gwijangge-led terrorist group may have used six firearms, including two 5.56 millimeter caliber SS1-V1 rifles, to carry out the attack, Rahmadani said.
Officials believe the Papuan terrorist groups may have obtained firearms and ammunition for launching their campaigns of terror through illegal arms trades.
According to the Papua police, last year, a civil servant at the Intan Jaya district administration was detained for his alleged involvement in illegal arms trade with Papuan terrorist groups.
Identified by his initials as MS, the suspect was detained for investigation after he was handed over by his family to the police on November 13, 2020.
MS had evaded capture by several Nabire district police officers in Samoba Bawah village on November 6, 2020. At the time, he had stowed four illegal guns and ammunition aboard a motorboat from Biak, officials said.
In a separate development on September 22, 2021, personnel from the Nemangkawi Task Force raided a house in the Ambruk complex area of Yahukimo district that was suspected to be a weapons storage facility for Papuan separatist terrorists.
The raid was launched after the task force received a tip from local residents about a truck, owned by the Yahukimo district government, carrying several people and cargo, a police officer revealed.
Acting on the tip, task force personnel were deployed to the place where the vehicle was sighted, deputy chief of the Operation Nemangkawi Task Force, Sen. Coms. Muhammad Firman, stated.
The security personnel found several people and cargo inside the cabin of the truck, which was being driven by a civil servant, identified by his initials as ES, Firman informed in a statement.
ES and the people found inside the truck's cabin were taken to the Yahukimo district police precinct for questioning, he said.
Based on the suspects' confession, security personnel raided the house in the Ambruk complex area, where they found 28 pieces of evidence, including ammunition, sharp weapons, and a radio rig, he added.
Among the items stored in the house, the personnel found a pair of military uniforms belonging to the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), he revealed, adding that ES had also concealed ammunition and a 5.56 magazine.
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On August 27, 2021, the Nemangkawi Task Force had arrested EB, the sub-district head, along with 15 members of the KNPB and separatist terrorist groups operating in Yahukimo.
Of the 15 detainees, five were involved in several acts of terror and murders in the district, officials said. The victims of their crimes included police and military personnel as well as civilians, they added.
The arrests of several civil servants in Papua province have sparked public concerns.
A senior legislator on Thursday claimed that several top officials in the Papua provincial and regional governments may be funding Papuan separatist terrorist groups to support their fight against Indonesia.
The officials support the terrorist groups by giving them firearms, money, and military trainers, alleged Dave Akbarshah Fikarno Laksono, member of Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR).
He said his allegations against the officials were based on "reliable reports" received by the House's Commission I Overseeing Defense and Foreign Affairs.
Speaking at a webinar entitled 'Winding Road for Crushing Armed Papuan Separatist Terrorists', Laksono said the officials must be brought to justice if their involvement is proven.
"It is our security agencies' task to uncover who has played the (terror-funding) game. They must uncover who they are and what positions they have," he added.
To this end, he appealed to the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), National Police, and Indonesian Military (TNI) to continue monitoring and collecting reliable data and evidence against the officials concerned.
If BIN, the National Police, and TNI obtain reliable data and evidence of their crimes, they must be brought to justice, he said.
Laksono also urged BIN, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), and Financial Services Authority (OJK) to trace the flow of funding to Papuan terrorist groups.
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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Epidemiologists Association (PAEI) of Papua revealed a number of challenges faced in mitigating Covid-19 situations in Papua from various aspects. One of those aspects is culture.
"Many people still believe that disease is the work of evil spirits," PAEI chairman Hasmi said in an online discussion on Friday, September 24, 2021.
Hasmi said that the belief makes it difficult for many Papuans to accept the facts that Covid-19 exists, and the virus causing it transmits through the respiratory tract. This has also led to people's reluctance to follow health protocols and get vaccinated.
Another challenge is the fact that many religious leaders and public figures believe in hoaxes. Hasmi said that 23 churches have united to declare their denial of Covid-19. They also symbolically burned masks.
"When religious leaders deny it, it is almost certain that their congregations would refuse to implement health protocol and refuse vaccines," Hasmi remarked.
Based on the Government Agency Performance Report (LKjIP), Hasmi said, Papuans also have a very low level of hygiene and healthy living behavior with just 45 percent. This means more than half are living unhealthy, unsanitary lives.
In terms of logistics, Hasmi said that the PCR testing equipment in Papua often breaks down, and it takes a long time for them to be repaired. Additionally, the TCM tool sometimes runs out of cartridges needed to detect Covid-19.
What makes things worse, Hasmi said, is that Papua does not have enough health workers. The medics who conduct tracing and administer vaccines are limited in number, some are forced to do more than one job.
FRISKI RIANA
"It is important to know the challenges of organizing the PON XX. All venues which I have described are [located] in areas categorized as red zones," Hasmi said in an online discussion on Friday, September 24, 2021.
Hasmi did not say the names of the venues. However, on September 5 mentioned that four cities/regencies that will hold the games were at high risks of Covid-19 transmission. They are Jayapura Regency, Jayapura City, Merauke Regency, and Mimika Regency.
Hasmi said that as of this week, the positivity rate in Papua had declined to 1.42 percent. Before that, it was always above 15 percent.
"The weekly ratio of tests per 1,000 population has also improved to 5.7 per 1,000 population," he said.
Additionally, Hasmi said that not all districts/cities have PCR test tools. Of the 24 districts with cases of Covid-19, only six or 25 percent have PCR testing equipment, and only 11 have TCM machines.
To date, Hasmi added, 39.45 percent of the population in Papua have received the first doses of vaccines, and 22.3 percent for second doses. "Far from the target to establish herd immunity," he said, which is at least 70 percent.
LANI DIANA WIJAYA
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