The public has agreed to not take to the streets anymore
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Some 570 Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel from three provincial police have been stationed to maintain security in Manokwari on Wednesday following riots in the West Papua provincial capital on Monday.

The Brimob personnel from the Southeast Provincial Police, North Sulawesi Provincial Police, and Maluku Provincial Police have helped to maintain security in Manokwari, Chief of the Public Relations Bureau of the National Police (Polri) Brigadier General Dedi Prasetyo stated on Wednesday.

In the meantime, 390 Brimob personnel from the South Sulawesi Provincial Police and Bali Provincial Police were stationed to maintain security in Sorong City, he remarked.

In general, the security situation in Manokwari and Sorong has been conducive, and public activities have returned to normal, he noted.

"The public has agreed to not take to the streets anymore," he confirmed.

The conducive situation was the result of cooperation among all elements of the community, Indonesian military, national police, and regional leadership coordination forum (Forkopimda) under the coordination of the governor, regional military command chief, provincial police chief, social figures, religious figures, and ethnic group chiefs to stop anarchy.

On Monday, thousands of people in Manokwari had demonstrated to unequivocally express their rage over alleged racist action against Papuan students in Surabaya and Malang, East Java. The demonstrators had set fire to tires in several parts of the city and main streets.

According to the police, 10 public facilities incurred damage in the aftermath of the riots in Manokwari, while 15 facilities were damaged in Sorong.

The rally was also reported in Jayapura, the capital city of Papua Province.

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Translator: Anita Permata Dewi/Suharto
Editor: Sri Haryati
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