Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - Papua Police Chief Insp.Gen.Mathius Fakhiri said security personnel continue to persuade members of armed Papuan separatist groups to be willing to reunite with their families, and declare allegiance to Indonesia.

The efforts are mainly carried out by the Indonesian Defence Forces' (TNI's) village supervisory non-commissioned officers (Babinsa) and National Police's security and public order officers (Bhabinkamtibmas).

In carrying out the persuasive approaches, the Babinsa and Bhabinkamtibmas work closely with regional administrations because the separatists are local residents, Fakhiri said in a statement that ANTARA quoted here Sunday.

They continue coaxing members of the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) into reuniting with their families and communities, and to declare allegiance to the Montherland, he said.

To this end, those who quit the notorious separatist groups need to hand over their firearms to the Indonesian security agencies to prevent the weapons from getting misused in the future, he said.

Some districts in Papua Province witnessed a downward trend in security disturbances after several Papuan insurgents have reunited with their families, he said.

According to Puncak Jaya District Head Yuni Wonda, his district's areas have relatively been conducive, and he welcomes the OPM members with open arms for a dialogue.

By having a good communication with all components in the society at large, he hoped there would be no longer security disturbances in Puncak Jaya.

Over the past few years, armed Papuan groups have applied 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 instil fear among the people.

Construction workers, motorcycle taxi (ojek) drivers, teachers, students, street food vendors, and even civilian aircraft, among others, have been the recent targets of such acts.


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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 during their visit to Dambet Village.

Following Nugraha's fatal shooting, President Joko Widodo instructed the TNI and National Police to track down and arrest members of all separatist and terrorist groups operating in Papua, stressing there is no place for them within the Indonesian territory.

In response to the ongoing security disturbances, People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Bambang Soesatyo has warned that the state must not allow armed separatists to continue to terrorize communities in Papua.

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It must ensure that the 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.

To defend the rights of Papuan people to enjoy the outcomes of development, the TNI and National Police personnel must remain present in Papua, Soesatyo emphasized in a recent press statement.

The areas of Ilaga, Nduga, Kenyam, and Intan Jaya remain vulnerable due to the threat posed by separatist terrorists, he stated.


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Translator: Evarukdijati, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021