Acting Governor of West Papua Paulus Waterpauw strongly condemned the attack by an armed criminal group (KKB) against civilians working on the Trans Road of Bintuni-Maybrat on Thursday, September 29, 2022, evening.
“As the Acting Governor of West Papua, I condemn the barbarity of the Armed Criminal Group,” said Waterpauw in his statement in Manokwari, Friday, September 30, 2022, morning.
The former Head of the Police Security Intelligence Division admitted that he had talked with the high officials of the Indonesian Army and the Police in West Papua to take quick and decisive steps to evacuate the survivors and those who died in the attack.
“To the Commander of the XVIII Military Region/Cassowary Maj. Gen. Gabriel Lema and the West Papua Police Chief, Inspector General Daniel Tahi Monang Silitonga, to take steps to evacuate the victims from the scene, and immediately arrest the barbaric Armed Criminal Group,” said Waterpauw.
Waterpauw also appealed to the people of West Papua, especially residents of the villages around the location of the incident, not to panic. He also hopes that they will help the police to catch the criminals.
“Because the security forces have taken an action to the perpetrators, the community must remain calm and help the officers to crush this group as quickly as possible,” said Waterpauw.
Previously, the Head of Public Relations of the West Papua Police, Commissioner Adam Erwindi confirmed the attack by an unknown person against 12 Trans Road workers according to the report of the Tekuk Bintuni Police Chief AKBP Junov Siregar.
“The information was received at 18:20 WIT from Task Force Organic Yonif RK 136/TS Post, in Mayerga Village, West Moskona District. And they said that there was a shooting by an unknown person,” explained Junov Police Chief.
The Head of Public Relations said that a joint team of the Army and the Bintuni Bay Mobile Brigade unit had evacuated a victim who suffer a gunshot wound from the location to Task Force Organic Yonif RK 136/TS Post in Mayerga Village.
As a result of the attack, he said, one worker suffered a gunshot wound in around his right shoulder while 12 other workers fled from the scene and reported to the Task Force Organic Yonif RK 136/TS Post in Mayerga Village.