17 PNG citizens nabbed in Papua

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua

Jayapura Police arrested on Friday 17 Papua New Guinean (PNG) nationals for illegally entering Indonesian territory.

The foreign nationals were also carrying firearms without proper documents, they added.

The police are currently questioning the suspects to understand their motive for entering the neighboring troubled province of Papua.

Jayapura Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Totok Kasmiarto said the 17 PNG citizens were apprehended while trying to enter Papua through the border area of Skouw Mabo at around 3 p.m. local time.

They were about 40 kilometers inside the border when the police nabbed them, he added.

"We initially arrested 34 Papua New Guinean nationals, but decided later to release 17 women and children and send them back to their home country," Totok said.

He said the suspects could be charged with violating Emergency Law No. 12/1954.

He declined to name the suspects.

"Under PNG's legal system, it is legal to possess and carry firearms, but gun owners must obtain a permit," Totok said.

He said a preliminary investigation showed that the 17 Papua New Guineans were carrying weapons for hunting purposes. Indeed, the Skouw Mabo area is located near Vanimo land -- the hunting area belonging to the ancestors of the Papua New Guinean people.

"If the investigation concludes that they had other motives, we will take legal action under the Indonesian legal system," he added.

The Indonesian government has long been suspicious that neighboring PNG harbors Papuan separatists.

Arguing that the Indonesia-PNG border has become a safe haven for the Free Papua Organization (OPM), the Indonesian Military (TNI) is considering stationing military battalions along the border.

OPM, one of the secessionist organizations in Papua, has been waging a low-level armed struggle against the government for independence since the 1960s.