The victim might belong to the Titus Murib-led criminal group operating in the Kepala Air neighborhood area, said Lt.Col. Afri Swandi Ritonga, the Commander of 300/Brajawijaya Infantry Battalion Task Force, in a statement on Saturday.
The exchange of fire broke out on Friday, a day after the armed criminals assaulted 23 workers at the construction site of the Omukia public health center project on Thursday (Oct 19), he said.
Ritonga said that prior to the gunfight, he had put his personnel on standby to hunt down the criminals responsible for the attack that killed a worker and injured two others, he said.
On Friday at around 03:00 p.m. local time, his soldiers detected that the armed criminals -- several armed with rifles and guns -- began intimidating local residents around Eromaga Village.
Ritonga then ordered several army personnel to chase the criminals. In order to reach the village, which is about four kilometers away from Ilaga, the soldiers had to walk for one and a half hours.
The manhunt took place for around six hours and, in a gunfight, one of the criminals was killed due to a bullet that hit his back, he said.
The deceased criminal was carried by his friends into the jungle. During the operation, the soldiers secured several items belonging to the criminals, including a drone, handheld transceivers (HT), and mobile phones, he said.
In another development, 53 residents of Eronggobak Village in Omukia Subdistrict have sought refuge at the task force's Eromaga Post since Friday evening.
They left their homes due to fear of the armed Papuan criminal group operating in Omukia Subdistrict, following Thursday's ambush which killed a worker and injured two other workers.
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The International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP) held a major meeting in the UK Parliament yesterday (October 18th 2023), calling for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to be urgently allowed to visit West Papua.
The IPWP meeting was held to support the recent communique issued at the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Leaders’ Summit in August, urging Indonesia to facilitate a UN visit to West Papua before the next Leaders’ Summit in 2024. Indonesia promised to facilitate a UN visit in 2018. Five years on, they are no closer to allowing the UN access.
Over 85 countries have now called for the UN visit. This includes all member states of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS), the European Commission, and individual nations including the UK, Spain, and the Netherlands. At Indonesia’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) last year in Geneva, eight countries, including the US, Canada, and Australia, expressed profound concern over the human rights situation in West Papua and urged international investigation.
The IPWP meeting was hosted by Alex Sobel, UK Labour MP and IPWP Chair. West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda addressed the crowded room, along with Jennifer Robinson, of Doughty Street Chambers and the International Lawyers for West Papua (ILWP). MEP and President of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont and Senator Gorka Elejebarrieta, both IPWP Vice Chairs, addressed the meeting by video link.
Demonstrations took place across West Papua over the past two days in support of the meeting.
Benny Wenda said: “I welcome the MSG communique, but words have to mean action. Even since the MSG meeting Indonesia has killed many West Papuans, and tortured and displaced even more. Melanesian leaders should ask themselves: are we trying to save West Papuans, or are we allowing Indonesia to carry on their occupation with impunity? The MSG and PIF must do all in their power to secure a visit.”
Carles Puigdemont said: “If Indonesia has a serious commitment to become a member of the part of the international community that respects human rights, there is no other alternative than for Jakarta than to facilitate the UN High Commissioner’s visit right now… I reassure you that our just struggle for a free West Papua will continue, in the European Parliament and at the European Commission.”
Gorka Elejebarrieta said: “We believe that the reports of serious human rights violations in West Papua have to be taken into account. We believe that the international community, and especially the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, cannot avoid the issue any longer. Indonesia must support and facilitate mechanisms of the international community for the full respect of human rights and the full respect of the rights of West Papuans.”
"They have been at the Mobile Raider 300/BJW (Brajawijaya) Task Force's Eromaga Post since Friday evening," said Air Vice-Marshal Deni Hasoloan Simanjuntak, Chief of the Joint Regional Defence Command (Kogabwilhan) III, in a statement on Saturday.
The villagers left their homes due to fear of an armed Papuan criminal group operating in the area following an attack on several workers at the construction site of the Omukia medical center on Thursday (Oct 19).
The assault resulted in the death of a 37-year old worker, named Otto, and injuries of two others, Simanjuntak said, adding that those seeking refuge and protection were mainly women, children, and elderly individuals.
Among the children sheltered with their parents at the Eromaga Post are Aison Murib (7), Kison Murib (4),Munison Murib (6), Del Kogoya (6), Deki Murib (7), Ekew Wanembo (7), Yordas Wanembo (6), Merinus Murib (7), Tundis Murib (4), Metianus Kogoya (3), Natalia Murib (2), Delson Murib (2), and Yeprison Murib (3).
The displaced villagers informed the task force personnel that they still spotted a man, armed with an arrow and a machete, moving around their village, Simanjuntak said.
They suspected that the man belonged to the Titus Murib-led armed criminal group. On Friday (Oct 20), the task force personnel reportedly engaged in a gunfight with the armed criminals in the Eromaga neighborhood.
They then continued to hunt down the criminals. During their manhunt, the task force personnel fatally shot one of them, he said.
Meanwhile, Police Adjunct Chief Commissioner (AKBP) Bayu Suseno, Spokesperson of the Cartenz Peace Operation Task Force, stated the deceased worker and 22 other workers who survived the assault had been evacuated to Timika, Mimika District.
They were transported by two aircraft, Suseno said, adding that Otto's coffin was flown to Makassar City, South Sulawesi Province, and then taken to Toraja District for burial.
Two of the 22 survivors were injured: Marinus, 37, and Erwin Barapadang, 52. The workers who survived the assault had reunited with their families, he said.
The task force's chief, Police Chief Commissioner (Kombes Pol) Faizal Ramadhani, said earlier that Papuan separatists attacked several people working on the medical center project, killing one worker and injuring two others.
Nineteen workers who survived the assault managed to reach the task force's security post in Ilaga, the capital of Puncak District, and reported the incident, he informed.
Martinus Bala, who survived the assault, said that a group of rebels, armed with guns, machetes, and arrows, launched a surprise attack on the workers on Thursday.
Bala said he lost one of his fingers due to a bullet but he and his workmates managed to escape. "I was not even aware that my finger was bleeding," he added.
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