Police seize Papuan militia HQ<\/p>\n
JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Police occupied on Sunday a
\ncultural center housing the headquarters of the Papuan taskforce
\nproindependence militia.<\/p>\n
The security forces also rounded up 47 people during the
\npredawn takeover, but all were released later in the day except
\nfor two who were charged with possessing weapons.<\/p>\n
Irian Jaya Police chief Brig. Gen. Sylvanus Y. Wenas said the
\nraid on the Arts and Cultural Center went almost unchallenged, a
\nstark contrast to what happened in other provincial towns, where
\nclashes erupted between proindependence supporters and security
\nforces, leaving 10 dead on Friday and Saturday.<\/p>\n
Most of the supporters were still sleeping inside the building
\nwhen the raid took place.<\/p>\n
Wenas said five molotov cocktails, 10 sharp weapons and lots
\nof arrows, as well as posters of the Morning Star, broken
\ntypewriters and proindependence literature, were seized from the
\ntaskforce members.<\/p>\n
As of Sunday evening dozens of police were seen guarding the
\nbuilding, which was already sealed. Barbed wire and a tight
\nsecurity cordon prevented people from approaching the site.<\/p>\n
The seizure of the building, which has served as a
\nheadquarters for the Papuan Taskforce for the past six months,
\ncame almost 24 hours after a deadline to vacate the building ran
\nout.<\/p>\n
\"We had an agreement with independence leaders that they would
\nvacate the building by Dec. 2 but they were still occupying it,
\nso we seized it,\" Wenas said.<\/p>\n
Supt. Daud Sihombing, chief of the Jayapura Police, said the
\nhead of the Papuan Taskforce and son of detained Irian leader
\nTheys Hiyo Eluay, Boy Eluay, was among the 47 people arrested
\nduring the raid.<\/p>\n
Daud said Boy was arrested on an old case of extortion. He was
\nlater released at dusk along with the other 45 Papuan Taskforce
\nmembers.<\/p>\n
During the raid, police also detained a Swiss citizen,
\nidentified as Iten Oswald Josef. Wenas said Josef had violated
\nthe terms of his tourist visa by photographing the incident.<\/p>\n
He said police had also detained several government employees
\nwho had taken part in Friday's ceremony, when the Morning Star
\nseparatist flag was raised in front of the cultural center.<\/p>\n
A total of 61 people have been arrested since Wednesday, in
\nconnection with the anniversary celebrations for the unrecognized
\n1961 Papuan declaration of independence.<\/p>\n
Theys, who is also president of the Papua Presidium Council,
\nthe council's secretary-general, Muslim figure Thaha Moh. Alamid,
\nand executives Don Flassy and Jhon Mambor, were all arrested on
\neither Wednesday and Thursday on subversion charges.<\/p>\n
Five proindependence supporters were also arrested following
\nFriday's clash in Fakfak, some 600 kilometers west of Jayapura,
\nin which two civilians were shot dead by riot police.<\/p>\n
Antara reported on Sunday the five arrested were Lukas Iha,
\nAser Sagas, Isak Baho, Dance Ek, and Lukas Tenau, all of whom
\nwere being held on charges of illegal possession of firearms.<\/p>\n
Police opened fire on Friday at dozens of local residents who
\nwere destroying an international-standard swimming pool in
\nBrongkendik village.<\/p>\n
Apolos Krisful and Locus Woy were killed in the incident,
\nwhile two other residents Gerson Hindom and Esay Way were
\nseverely wounded. The injured are being treated at the local
\nhospital.<\/p>\n
Fakfak Police chief Supt. Totok Kasmiarto defended the
\nshooting, saying it was in self-defense after the residents
\nattacked the security forces. He said the police were still
\nsearching for 70 more suspects involved in the clash.<\/p>\n
Following Saturday's incident in Merauke, Wenas said the town
\nwas deleted from the list of five places where the Morning Star
\nwas allowed to fly because rioters there had attacked the
\nsecurity forces and settlers, killing at least one migrant, and
\nhad also pulled down and burned the national red-and-white flag.<\/p>\n
The situation in natural resource-rich Irian Jaya, the
\ncountry's largest province with a mere two million population,
\nwas generally quiet and peaceful on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Three Navy warships were seen docking in Porasko Naval Base in
\nJayapura, just 200 meters away from the cultural center. People
\nthronged around the base out of curiosity.<\/p>\n
Riot police also set up roadblocks at all access points to the
\ncultural center.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, leaders of the central highlands-based Penis Gourd
\nCouncil of Elders (DMK), an organization that takes its name from
\nthe traditional penis gourds worn by members of the Dani tribe
\nand introduced by Papua presidium council deputy leader Tom
\nBeanal as \"the hardline members of the presidium,\" said their
\napproach from now on would be two-pronged.<\/p>\n
\"We will use guerrilla tactics through the Free Papua Movement
\n(OPM), and dialogue with the central government through the Papua
\nPresidium,\" Petrus Tabuni, a district leader of the council, told
\nAFP.<\/p>\n
\"The OPM, from hideouts in the jungle, will attack Indonesian
\nsoldiers and any non-Papuans who conspire with them to hide them
\nor their weapons,\" Tabuni said.<\/p>\n
He said that should the soldiers hide within the population,
\nthe OPM and the DPK fighters, named after the traditional male
\noutfits of the Dani tribe, would not only target soldiers but
\nalso all non-Papuans.<\/p>\n
\"We Dani people tolerate non-Papuans, but brutal military
\nactions anger the Papuan people which can cause them to kill
\nanyone including civilians.\"<\/p>\n
Hans Yoweni, district commander of the OPM in Bonggo, 120
\nkilometers (74 miles) west of here, declared his disgust with the
\npresidium's moderate approach. (02\/emf)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-seize-papuan-militia-hq-1447893297",
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