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https://en.jubi.id/evacuees-from-yugumuak-and-magebume-in-sinak-need-government-assistance/
1) Evacuees from Yugumuak and Magebume in Sinak need government assistance
News Desk - Armed Conflict In Papua
7 March 2023
Residents of Yugumowak District and Mageabume District, Puncak Regency, who fled due to armed conflict in their villages gathered in Teno Muara Village, Sinak District, Puncak, Central Papua Province. - Doc. Denius Tabuni
Jayapura, Jubi – Youth leader Denius Tabuni said some residents of Yugumuak District and Mageabume District in Puncak Regency, Central Papua Province, have fled to a number of villages in Sinak District in the same regency. He said the evacuees needed food, clothing, and tents.
Residents fled following a firefight between Indonesian Military (TNI) troops and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) in Yugumuak District on Friday, March 3, 2023. The shooting killed one civilian and eight others reportedly injured by gunfire.
Denius Tabuni said the residents fled for safety. According to him, the escalation of the armed conflict between the TNI and TPNPB has made residents victims, they lost their lives, were injured, and lost their property.
“The community is still traumatized, and cannot return to their hometowns to farm. In camps, displaced people have difficulty getting food. The Puncak Government must provide food aid, clothes, and tents to accommodate residents who fled to Sinak,” Tabuni said in a WhatsApp message to Jubi on Monday, March 6, 2023.
In his personal record, Tabuni said, civilians had evacuated ten times. Every time they evacuate, residents cannot farm, making it difficult to find food or clean water.
“We ask the Puncak Government to immediately respond to the displaced residents as soon as we have heard that the people of Yugumuak and Mageabume are displaced. Please identify with the needs of displaced civilians,” he said.
Jayapura, Jubi – The Executive Board of the Yahukimo Student Community (KPMY) recently made a press statement addressing the security situation in Yahukimo Regency, wherein armed conflict between the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) and the Indonesian Military (TNI) has displaced hundreds of civilians as security forces sweeps in residential areas to pursue TPNPB.
“From the data that we students collect, there are around 400 civilians who have fled. Some civilians fled to the forest, setting up huts in the middle of the forest. Some residents fled to Dekai, the capital of Yahukimo Regency, and stayed at their relatives’ houses. There are also those who live in the yard of the Yahukimo Police Headquarters,” said student coordinator Solleng Sool.
The armed conflict escalated when TPNPB shot four TNI soldiers in Paradiso Road, Dekai District, resulting in the death of Pvt. LW and injured 1715/Yahukimo Military District commander Lt. Col. Inf Johanis Victorianus Tethool, Pvt. NS, and Sgt. RS. Since then, TNI troops have been pursuing the shooters.
Sool said he received information that on Monday security forces again swept a number of civilian settlements in Yahukimo, during which they seized property and arrested a number of civilians.
“The security forces confiscated property belonging to civilians and the community. There were several civilians arrested by the authorities during the sweeping,” he said.
Another student, Venus Kabak, said the TNI’s pursuit of the TPNPB group affected civilians in Yahukimo. According to him and made them unable to carry out daily activities normally.
“If in such a state of fear, people are not fully free to carry out activities. And as people leave their farms, they will depend on food handouts and that will lead to starvation. We ask that the TNI and police not conduct excessive sweeping so that people can access their gardens,” he said.
Another student, Elianus Hambisabon, said the escalation of the armed conflict had halted educational activities in a number of areas of Yahukimo. “We students request that the government immediately run learning activities as well as revive the economic activities in Dekai,” he said.
Representative from Region III Yahukimo Ronny Welsa said his region was in a humanitarian crisis. Welsa urged the Yahukimo Regent to revoke the Memorandum of Understanding between the Yahukimo Administration and the Papua Police, which he believes is the basis for the addition of security forces in Yahukimo. Meanwhile, the Yahukimo People Council was urged to form a Special Committee to record the number of Yahukimo civilians who fled.
“We as Yahukimo students condemn and urge authorities such as the Regent of Yahukimo to stop sending the military to Yahukimo. Yahukimo Police chief, please stop arresting civilians, and immediately release civilians who are detained. We ask the government to withdraw TNI and police from Suru-suru District, Yahukimo,” he said.
Welsa also urged security forces to stop sweeping civilian settlements in Yahukimo, and return all civilian property that had been seized by security forces. (*)
"Jayapura city, as a city of faith and modernity, is a valuable investment, which we should be grateful for," he remarked while inaugurating the Harmony Award Monument in South Jayapura Sub-district here on Tuesday.
He recalled that the city received the Harmony Award from the Religious Affairs Ministry on January 3, 2021.
Still, it is expected that the local people and the government will continue to strengthen their joint commitment to bolstering the spirit of harmony as well as the growth of the city for the glory of God, the deputy minister said.
He said he hoped that the commitment can actually be realized by developing the city in a conducive and orderly manner.
"Thus, we can create various development innovations to realize a peaceful and prosperous urban society," he added.
Sa'adi appealed to all regions of Indonesia to emulate the attempts made by the Jayapura city government for achieving harmony in society since harmonious conditions can prevent various negative impacts of the development of science and technology in terms of the social aspect.
He said he expects that instead, the community will optimize science and technology to capture business opportunities, improve spiritual and educational literacy, as well as promote the results of the development programs in their respective regions.
Meanwhile, acting Mayor of Jayapura City Frans Pekey said that the Harmony Award Monument is not a mere building as it will always remind the people in the region about the importance of religious tolerance.
"Thus, it (the monument) will be able to ignite people’s spirit to continue to maintain the harmony of inter-religious relations," he added.
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"We were reminded by the President to be ready and wary," he told West Papua state civil apparatuses (ASNs) here on Tuesday.
In addition to pre-disaster actions, emergency response as well as post-disaster steps should also be prepared, he said.
According to Waterpauw, everyone has been focusing on the emergency response stage, which kicks in after a disaster has occurred.
This is despite the fact that imparting training and disseminating information to the people is necessary so they that do not make mistakes when confronted with a disaster.
While natural disasters cannot be predicted, he expects the public to know what needs to be done when they strike, he said.
"In the future, we will create concepts and trainings to prepare our staff at the level of sub-district in West Papua," Waterpauw informed.
The governor said that there was an 81 percent increase in the frequency of natural disasters in Indonesia in 2022.
In 2022, as many as 3,544 natural disasters were recorded in the country compared to 1,945 in 2010.
People should be grateful that the earthquake in West Papua was not like the one in Jayapura, but such disasters still need to be anticipated, he said.
"In Jayapura, right now, there are dozens, even hundreds of earthquakes that have occurred," he highlighted.
Since the start of 2023, West Papua province has recorded light earthquakes twice. However, several regions, such as Manokwari and South Manokwari, once experienced an extraordinary earthquake in 2009.
"The effects of climate change are not just earthquakes and floods, landslides also occurred in a number of regions in our country," Waterpauw noted.
"This is certainly more frightening than the pandemic that we have just overcome," he added.
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