It must ensure that Papuans' rights to enjoy the outcomes of development programs in the country's easternmost province are not disrupted and hijacked by continued acts of terror, he stressed.
The State Constitution mandates the government to ensure Indonesian provinces, including Papua, see development so that all people can prosper, Soesatyo said in a statement that ANTARA received on Friday.
However, ongoing security disturbances created by separatist terrorists are impeding the government’s endeavors to bring prosperity to all Papuans, he added.
"It is not easy to develop Papua if the armed Papuan terrorists' acts of terror against innocent civilians there get intensified and escalated," he cautioned.
Soesatyo met with Indonesian Army's Special Forces Kopassus Commander, Major General Mohamad Hasan, in Jakarta on Wednesday evening to discuss Papuan issues.
To defend the right of the Papuan people to enjoy the outcomes of development, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police personnel must remain present in Papua, Soesatyo said.
The areas of Ilaga, Nduga, Kenyam, and Intan Jaya remain vulnerable due to the threat posed by separatist terrorists, he added.
Over the last few years, armed Papuan groups have used hit-and-run tactics against Indonesian security personnel and unleashed acts of terror against civilians in the districts of Intan Jaya, Nduga, and Puncak to make people fearful of them.
The recent targets of such acts have included construction workers, motorcycle taxi (ojek) drivers, teachers, students, street food vendors, and also civilian aircraft.
On April 25, 2021, Papuan separatists operating in Beoga ambushed State Intelligence Agency (Papua) chief, Maj. Gen. I Gusti Putu Danny Karya Nugraha, and several security personnel when they visited Dambet village.
Following Nugraha's fatal shooting, President Joko Widodo instructed the TNI and National Police to track down and arrest all members of armed separatist and terrorist groups operating in Papua, stressing there is no place for them within Indonesian territory. (INE)
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EDITED BY INE
Translator: Imam B, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
