The 40-year-old driver, identified as Rusman HR alias Aco, was reportedly stabbed in a street near Ilambet village in Ilaga sub-district, Puncak district, Papua. He sustained serious stab wounds on the back and died of exsanguination while trying to escape his attackers, said police.
Rusman’s body was flown to Timika on an Asian One Air plane on Wednesday.
The aircraft landed at Timika city's Mozes Kilangin Airport around 8:30 a.m. local time. From there Rusman’s coffin was taken to the public hospital for a post-mortem examination, Papua Police spokesperson, Sen.Coms. AM Kamal, said.
From the hospital, the coffin was transported back to Mozes Kilangin Airport where a Sriwijaya Air flight was to ferry it to Makassar on Wednesday afternoon, Kamal said.
Rusman’s wife, two sons, and two relatives also boarded the flight, he added.
The ojek driver, who was brutally attacked while carrying a passenger, will be buried in his hometown in Pangkep district, South Sulawesi province, he informed.
Shortly after locals reported the murder, several officers from Puncak district's police precinct rushed to the crime scene, but they were showered with bullets by the armed Papuan group, he informed.
"Well, they are definitely armed criminals," Kamal remarked.
The Indonesian province of Papua has been witness to a repeated cycle of violence, with armed Papuan groups in the districts of Intan Jaya, Nduga, and Puncak targeting civilians and security personnel over the past two years.
Early this week, an armed rebel reportedly shot a 32-year-old man at close range in Bilogai village in Sugapa sub-district, Puncak district.
The victim, identified by his initials as RNR, sustained gunshot wounds on the face and right shoulder and was taken to the Timika Public Hospital in Mimika district on Tuesday, said Kamal.
Following the shooting, a joint team of police and military personnel conducted patrols in the village and Sugapa City, he stated.
Terrorized by the shooting and fearing for their safety, at least 359 residents in Intan Jaya took refuge in a church on Tuesday, he informed.
Most of those deciding to leave their homes and move to the church over fears of being targeted by members of the notorious armed group are residents of Bilogai village of Sugapa sub-district, he added.
One of the refugees is a local community leader, he said.
"We want to live peacefully like our brothers and sisters in other areas in Papua," Tomas, one of the refugees, stated.
Kamal said Tomas and the villagers support the presence of police and military personnel in their village. (INE)
Related news: 359 terrorized Papuans in Intan Jaya take refuge in church
Related news: Six-member group kills Ojek driver in Ilaga: Papua police
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Evarianus S, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
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