Unpaid blood money causes fresh violence

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura

The villages of Old Kwamki and Djayanti engaged in a fresh round of violence in Mimika, Papua, on Tuesday, leaving at least 10 people injured and raising fears of further clashes.

Mimika Police chief Comr. Rhinto Prastowo said on Wednesday the villagers, mostly armed with bows and arrows, were on a war footing because of the failure of local war chiefs to pay compensation for deaths that occurred in the initial round of violence in June.

In the earlier clashes, four people were killed, two from Old Kwamki village and two from Djayanti village. As is local custom, the two villages agreed to a truce on June 15 because both sides had suffered the same number of fatalities.

However, the families of the dead demanded that the war chiefs compensate them for their losses.

The amount of compensation demanded by both sides totaled Rp 9 billion (US$1 million). The families of the dead in Old Kwamki village demanded Rp 3 billion, while the families in Djayanti village demanded Rp 6 billion for the deaths of their two relatives, as well as for damage caused in the conflict.

The victims' families are also seeking compensation from the Mimika regency administration.

Rhinto said this new violence appeared to be an effort on the part of the warring groups to force the government to mediate in the dispute.

"I do not believe the local administration will compensate them financially. It might intervene to mediate but it would be impossible for the villagers to expect the regency to bear the financial burden. Where would the administration get the money?" Rhinto said.

The speaker of the Mimika regency council, Andreas Anggaibak, said the administration would not compensate the villagers.

He said the financial demands were not reasonable and it was not the government's responsibility to provide compensation in this case.

"Did the government ask them to start a war? They are fighting among themselves, so why should any other party be held responsible? If they decide to wage war, they have to bear the consequences," he said.

The two villages have said they wanted to meet with the Mimika regent and the legislative speaker to discuss the matter. "The officials are not here at the moment and the people are still waiting for them," Rhinto said.

Officers from the police's Mobile Brigade and the Mimika Police have been deployed to Old Kwamki village to prevent further clashes.