17 PNG nationals deported from RI

Netty Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua

Seventeen nationals of Papua New Guinea (PNG), who were arrested in Papua for entering Indonesia illegally, were deported after authorities found no evidence that their entry was intended to disrupt public order and security.

"They were deported on Jan. 24 by land and escorted to the border area (between Papua province, Indonesia, and PNG). It was determined that they came into Indonesia only to hunt," Jayapura Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Totok Kasmiarto said on Monday.

He said the Papua New Guineans claimed that part of the area bordering the two countries was their traditional hunting ground.

"They had no intention other than to hunt, as they had done for generations," Totok said.

The Papua New Guineans were apprehended by police on Jan. 22 at Skouw Mabo area in Muaratamai subdistrict, Jayapura, about 40 kilometers from the Indonesia-PNG border in Wutung.

The police seized from them six firearms and traditional weapons, which are still at Jayapura Police station.

"We will give them back through the PNG Consulate here," Totok said.

The PNG Consulate in Jayapura had sent local police a letter clarifying that the 17 had no intention of disrupting security in Indonesian territory and that they were simply traditional hunters.

The Papua New Guineans were deported after the Jayapura immigration office gave their approval.

"Their documents were complete. They had cross-border papers, but forgot to report to the immigration post in Wutung, and as a result their papers were not stamped," Totok said.

"Technically, they violated immigration laws, and this is enough to deport them. They are traditional people who don't know their country's boundaries," Jayapura immigration officer Utju Suchyar told The Jakarta Post.