Two Cassowary Bird Statues at West Papua Governor's Office Stolen

Two cassowary bird statues located in the grounds of the West Papua Governor’s Office have been stolen.

West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan has highlighted issues with the security system, particularly the performance of the Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP).

He assessed that the security provided by Satpol PP is not yet running optimally, thus giving opportunities to criminals.

“Where was Satpol when such a large statue could disappear,” Dominggus stated firmly after attending the civil servants’ monthly worship service at the West Papua Governor’s Office in Manokwari on Tuesday (7/4).

He revealed that the guarding system at the governor’s office, especially at night, is still very weak. Of the total 12 personnel who should be on duty, the number of guards is often far below the required standard.

“I often come to monitor at night. Sometimes there are only two to four people, even no Satpol personnel on guard,” said Dominggus.

According to him, this situation is very regrettable because it opens up opportunities for criminal acts, including the theft of the two cassowary statues that serve as icons and pride for the regional government.

Dominggus emphasised that Satpol PP bears full responsibility for safeguarding all regional government assets. He called for improvements in performance so that similar incidents do not recur.

“I emphasise that this incident is the last one and should not happen again,” he said.

The West Papua Provincial Government has reported the case to the West Papua Regional Police (Polda) for follow-up.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of General Criminal Investigation (Reskrimum) team of Polda West Papua has secured two suspects with initials LH and LIM, as well as one receiver with initial F.

The arrests were made based on a report from the West Papua Provincial Government with number: LP/B/117/IV/2026/SKPT/Polda Papua Barat dated 5 April 2026.