The closed-door meeting, bringing together some 50 people, ran cordially.
At the meeting, the religious figures called for no further discrimination against Papuans, Karnavian remarked following the meeting.
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Karnavian affirmed that the country had adopted an anti-discrimination law under which anybody found guilty of violating it will be subject to legal measures.
"Papuan students, who study in regions outside Papua, should adapt to the local culture in the same way as non-native residents of Papua respect the local culture," he emphasized.
At the meeting, some participants also raised questions over security being beefed up in Manokwari and Sorong, West Papua. Security personnel currently deployed in West Papua will secure repeat elections to be organized in Arfak and Sorong. Deploying the existing personnel to secure demonstrations will suffice," he explained.
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If normalcy has been restored, the personnel will be called back, he stated, adding that the Nduga case was the upshot of the murder of 34 employees of PT Istaka Karya.
"There are several cases in Nduga, but the number of personnel has not risen. Their number is raised following the murder of employees constructing a bridge there," he noted.
On August 19, several thousand people in Manokwari, West Papua Province, and Jayapura, Papua Province, had protested vociferously over alleged racist action against Papuan students in Surabaya and Malang, East Java, on August 16.
A local parliamentary building in Manokwari was set ablaze during the demonstration. The rioters also set fire to tires in several parts of the city and main streets.
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Translator: Evarukdijati, Suharto
Editor: Azizah Fitriyanti
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
