2) ‘We will kill everyone that hinders Papuan independence’: TPNPB
3) Papua Peace Network Condolences For The Shooting Of 12 Civilians In Nduga
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https://www.ucanews.com/news/rebels-in-indonesias-papua-claim-responsibility-for-ambush/98079
Rebels in Indonesia's Papua claim responsibility for ambush
Saturday's attack killed ten people and was one of the deadliest in recent years in the underdeveloped province
Separatists in Indonesia's restive eastern province of Papua claimed responsibility on Monday for the killing of 10 people over the weekend, accusing the victims of being spies for the government in Jakarta.
Gunmen and attackers armed with sharp weapons had ambushed a truck of traders transporting goods through a remote highland area on Saturday, according to police, who blamed rebels for the killings.
The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the military wing of Papua's main separatist group, said they shot dead the civilians because they believed they were Jakarta's spies disguised as workers.
"We shot 11 [Indonesian] people, and a Papuan because he took our pictures and fought back when the TPNPB questioned him," rebel spokesperson Egianus Kogeya said in a statement.
Kogeya warned "Indonesian immigrants" from other islands to leave the restive region and threatened to kill them if they ignored the warning.
Papua's Melanesian population shares few cultural connections with the rest of Indonesia -- the world's largest Muslim-majority country -- and the Indonesian military has long been accused of gross human rights abuses there.
Saturday's attack was one of the deadliest in recent years in the underdeveloped, mineral-rich province.
In 2018, 19 employees of a state-owned construction company were shot dead by rebels while fixing a bridge.
In March, eight telecommunications workers were also shot dead.
A former Dutch colony, Papua declared itself independent in 1961, but neighbouring Indonesia took control two years later, promising an independence referendum.
The subsequent vote in favour of staying part of Indonesia was widely considered a sham.
Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papua National Liberation Army says they have shot dead ten people and injured two people they considered enemies in Nogolait Village, Kenyam District, Nduga Regency, on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
According to the TPNPB commander of Ndugama Derakma, Egianus Kogoya, the attack started when a Papuan civilian recorded his men raising the Morning Star flag.
“On July 16, TPNPB Ndugama Derakma entered Kenyam. At 08.30 a.m, we raised the Morning Star flag at Nogolaid. From the truck, we saw a civilian stealthily taking pictures and videos. We suspected him of being a spy, so we shot him dead,” Kogoya said in a written statement received by Jubi on Monday, July 18, 2022.
After shooting the victim, Kogoya said, his group opened fire on five people who were guarding stalls along the road. Kogoya accuses the stall keepers of spying on his group and possessing a gun.
Not long after, a truck passed at the scene. “We held it and checked on it. It turned out there were four people ducking down in the truck, making us suspicious so we shot the four of them. We think they are spies,” said Kogoya.
Egianus Kogoya’s group also shot another truck driver who was also passing by the location, and another civilian who passed by on the road. “In total, we shot 12 people, one of which is a Papuan because he took the video. Of the 12 people, ten people died and two people were injured,” he said.
He declared his group would kill anyone they suspected of being a spy. “Whoever they are, be it civilians, employees, workers, whether it’s Papuans or non-Papuans, we will not compromise. We will kill everyone that hinders Papuan independence,” he said.
Jayapura, Jubi – The Papuan Peace Network (JDP) expresses its condolences for the shooting that killed 10 civilians and injured two civilians by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) in Nogolaid, Nduga Regency, on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
The civil organization regrets any acts of violence against civilians by anyone, including the TPNPB.
JDP spokesman Yan Cristian Warinussy in a Whatsapp message received by Jubi on Sunday night, said that JDP hoped the National Police Chief and the TNI Commander would handle the case of the armed group attack in Nduga in a measured and thorough manner. JDP believed that the handling method chosen would have a significant impact on indigenous Papuan people in Nogolaid, as well as all the people in Nduga.
Warinussy said the Papua Peace Network had always called for the implementation of a peaceful approach to immediately end various armed conflicts in Papua. The JDP had asked President Joko Widodo to start a peaceful dialogue with all warring parties in Papua.
The Papua Peace Network believes that the state’s current approach, which is continuing to expand the territory through the establishment of New Autonomous Regions, will not end the socio-political conflict in Papua. JDP also called for a halt to the firearms trade across Papua.
“In our view, the conflict in Papua can only be resolved through peaceful dialogue, not through regional expansion or buying and selling of weapons. The Papuan conflict also cannot be resolved with armed violence,” said Warinussy. (*)
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