At the moment, none of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) members or jihadists have come to Jayapura or other cities in Papua.
Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw made assurance of no jihadist having arrived in Papua Province in the upshot of the deadly Wamena rioting on Sept 23 that killed 33 innocent civilians.

"At the moment, none of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) members or jihadists have come to Jayapura or other cities in Papua," he informed ANTARA in Jayapura, the capital city of Papua Province, on Tuesday evening.

Citing received reports, Waterpauw claimed that some 40 members of Jama'ah Tabligh had been visiting Jayapura to propagate Islam among Muslims around the city and its outskirts, including Sentani and Keerom, since early October.

The Jama'ah Tabligh members, led by H. Nasir, departed from Jakarta by boarding Ciremai, a commercial motor vessel. They arrived at the Port of Jayapura on October 1, 2019, he revealed.

Waterpauw remarked that the Jama'ah Tabligh members will be in Jayapura and its outskirts for some four months. In the near future, the Papua police will meet them since their presence had raised a sense of concern and disquiet among several local residents.

Related news: Lesson learned from Wamena rioting

Speaking in connection with the current security condition in Wamena, Jayawijaya District’s capital city, that had recently borne witness to a deadly rioting, he stated that despite calm being maintained, the military and police personnel remain observant.

"Overall, the situation is secure, including that in the Pegunungan Tengah area," he stated.

Rumors on jihadists in Papua have recently been brought to light by foreign media, such as RNZ, which made claims that the Front Jihad Islam, or FJI, had issued a call to arms in the province following the killings of innocent non-Papuan settlers in Wamena.

The Wamena rioting has caused misery to numerous Indonesians since not only 33 innocent civilians were killed but several thousand survivors were also compelled to seek refuge by abandoning their burned and destroyed properties.

Related news: Wamena riot survivors are still traumatized: Wiranto

Several survivors, originally from provinces, including West Sumatra, South Sulawesi, East Java, and Banten, have also returned to their hometowns.

The rioting was spurred by the proliferation of hoaxes through social media platforms that triggered fury among its residents, according to Papua Police Chief Inspector General Rudolf A. Rodja.

Several local media reports confirmed Rodja's claim that the riot was spurred by hoaxes centering on a teacher's racist slur against native Papuan students.

Taking into account the count of casualties, the Wamena riot has become the deadliest of the string of violence that broke out in several parts of Papua and West Papua over the past two months following the Surabaya incident on Aug 16 that had triggered resentment and fury among native Papuans.

The Indonesian police have held Benny Wenda, a campaigner of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) leading a good life in the United Kingdom, accountable for the spate of violence that erupted in these two Indonesian provinces, including the rioting in Wamena.
Related news: Social workers to work with Wamena riot survivors

Related news: Ministry, military join hands to rebuild Wamena's damaged facilities

EDITED BY INE

Translator: Evarukdijati, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2019