Manokwari (ANTARA) - Violence against civilians in Central Papua continued on Thursday, July 31, with another ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver falling victim to a machete attack — the second such incident in a week.

Previously on Saturday, July 26, an ojek driver named Aris Munandar, 28, was brutally attacked with a machete after dropping off a passenger in the Pasar Baru Waghete II area of Tigi Subdistrict, Deiyai District.

According to the Operation Peace Cartenz Task Force, the latest attack occurred in Mulia town, Yamo Subdistrict, Puncak Jaya District, where a 51-year-old ojek driver named Satu'in suffered serious injuries to his left hand after being assaulted.

Speaking to ANTARA from Manokwari, West Papua Province, the task force's Operation Head, Brig Gen Faizal Ramadhani, said the ill-fated ojek driver is currently hospitalized at Mulia Public Hospital in Mulia town, and the manhunt for his attackers is still underway.

Speaking to ANTARA from Manokwari, West Papua Province, the task force's operation head, Brigadier General Faizal Ramadhani, said Satu'in is currently hospitalized at Mulia Public Hospital, and a manhunt for the attackers is underway.

Ramadhani said the victim, a resident of Usir Village in Mulia Subdistrict, was driving a female passenger from Mulia town to Dokome Village when he was ambushed by two men riding a blue Yamaha RX King motorcycle.

As he passed the PT Nikita area on his way to Unduh Village, the two men—who had been tailing him—suddenly forced him to stop and attacked him with a machete. One of the attackers then seized his motorcycle and fled to Purbalo Village along with the female passenger.

Despite his severe injuries, Satu'in managed to call his fellow ojek drivers for help. They found him and rushed him to the hospital for treatment.

"We are still investigating the case, and task force personnel have been deployed to secure the crime scene," Ramadhani said, urging locals to remain calm.

As previously reported, Aris Munandar sustained serious wounds to his shoulder and right hand during the earlier attack.

Ramadhani condemned the continued assaults on innocent civilians, including Munandar, and said the task force is investigating the potential involvement of an armed Papuan group.

In recent years, armed separatist groups in Papua have frequently used hit-and-run tactics against Indonesian security personnel and have carried out acts of terror targeting civilians in Intan Jaya, Nduga, Puncak, and Maybrat Districts to spread fear.

Their victims have included construction workers, ojek drivers, teachers, students, street vendors, and even civilian aircraft.

On Friday, July 25, 2025, a separatist also shot and killed a kiosk owner, Joni Hendra, in Wandoga Village, Sugapa Subdistrict, Intan Jaya District, as he was serving a customer.



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