Four Road Project Workers Killed in OPM Attack in Papua

The XVII/Cenderawasih Regional Military Command has stated that the Free Papua Organisation (OPM) is responsible for a shooting that killed workers on a national road project in the Kali Kabur area, Woniki District, Tolikara, Papua Pegunungan, on Sunday (2/8) at around 19.30 Eastern Indonesian Time. Head of Information for Kodam XVII/Cenderawasih, Colonel Inf Tri Purwanto, said that based on the results of an investigation and field verification conducted by a joint TNI-Polri apparatus, the attack was confirmed to have been carried out by the OPM group led by Botak Wanimbo together with the Teranus Enumbi group. “The action targeted workers of PT Sutan Harauli Jaya (PT SHJ) who were carrying out road infrastructure construction in the area,” Tri said when confirmed on Monday (3/8). The four victims who died in the incident were named as Arman Sibarani, Erlin Aritonang, Barengga—who is an indigenous Papuan (OAP)—and Alfonds. All were project workers for PT SHJ, except for Barengga who was a local resident. He said several other workers managed to save themselves by fleeing to Kanggime District. “They then reported the incident to the company so that the information could be immediately forwarded to the security forces,” he said. He stated that in response to the incident, a joint force consisting of Task Force Yonif 511/DY, Task Force Yonif 136/TS, Koramil Ilu, and Polsek Ilu moved to the location to carry out an evacuation. All the deceased victims and the surviving workers were successfully evacuated from the scene. Currently, three bodies are being held at the Mulia Regional General Hospital in Puncak Jaya Regency, while one other body is at the Tolikara Regional General Hospital for further handling. There were no casualties among the security forces during the evacuation operation. Kodam XVII/Cenderawasih strongly condemned the act of violence carried out by the OPM for taking the lives of civilians who were working to build infrastructure for the benefit of the Papuan people. “This action not only threatens the safety of the community but also hampers efforts to accelerate development and improve welfare in the Papua region,” he said.