According to Titus, he saw the three dead victims, lying on the ground. They could have been killed 30 minutes before he passed by the scene
Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - Notorious armed Papuan separatists, on Friday, brutally killed three motorcycle taxi (Ojek) drivers in Sugapa Subdistrict, Intan Jaya District, Papua Province, a military spokesman said. The Ojek drivers shot dead and then hacked with machetes by the Lekagak Telenggen-led armed rebels were identified as Rizal (31), Herianto (31), and La Soni (25), Spokesman of the XVII/Cenderawasih Regional Military Command Colonel Eko Daryanto said here Saturday.

The victims’ bodies could be extricated from the scene only after a local member of parliament, Titus Kobogau reported the incident to Intan Jaya District Head Natalis Tabuni, and Deki Belau, a young community leader.

Kobogau, himself, was intercepted by the same rebels on his way to Pugisiga Village, Hitadipa Subdistrict, Intan Jaya District on Friday to pick up a churchgoer of Kingmi Chapel.

"According to Titus, he saw the three dead victims, lying on the ground. They could have been killed 30 minutes before he passed by the scene," Daryanto said.

Luckily, he was allowed by the rebels to continue his trip, Kobogau said. He reported what he saw to Tabuni and Belau.

On Friday afternoon, Tabuni held a meeting with authorities concerned to discuss ways to evacuate the murdered Ojek drivers from the crime scene to the Boligai Health Center.

Tabuni condemned the killing of innocent civilians after seeing their bodies, urging residents to remain calm. He asked other Ojek drivers to be careful and to restrict their working hours.

The latest incident has increased the list of innocent civilians killed by armed Papuan rebels.

On September 26, for instance, two Ojek drivers, Alwi and Midung, were executed by rebels near the Muara suspension bridge in Amnunggi Village, Ilaga Sub-district, Puncak District, Papua.

The deaths of these drivers also exposed the dirty underbelly of the ongoing campaign by rebels to slay civilians in Papua since the separatist organization, Free Papua Movement (OPM), declared war on Indonesia early this year.

Members of the Venny Murib-led armed separatist group had killed Alwi and Midung in the Amnunggi Village area, Papua provincial police spokesman Sen. Coms. Ahmad Kamal has stated. (INE)
Related news: Police confirm two Ojek drivers gunned down by Papuan separatists

Translator: Alfian R, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
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