We will prioritise women and children for the first evacuation flights. We hope the evacuation process would be smooth and safeJayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - Some 11 residents of Kiwirok were evacuated from the sub-district to Oksibil, Pegunungan Bintang District, Papua, amid security threats due to the recent Papuan armed group's ambush on the sub-district.
Papua Police's Director for Criminal Investigation Agency Senior Commissioner Faizal Rahmadani informed ANTARA in Jayapura that the flight, carrying 11 Kiwirok residents, arrived in Oksibil at 9:00 local time (UTC +9). Three children are among the eleven evacuated civilians, he added.
The police has currently registered and examined the health of the evacuated residents after having endured prolonged ambush and harassment by the Papuan armed group at their home in Kiwirok Sub-district.
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Senior Commissioner Rahmadani pointed at the likelihood of more residents being evacuated, yet the final decision on the evacuation would be taken later.
"I have returned to Jayapura, and the current evacuation process would be overseen by the Pegunungan Bintang Police," he remarked.
Meanwhile, Pegunungan Bintang Police Head Adjunct Senior Commissioner Cahyo Sukarnito confirmed that more residents of Kiwirok would be evacuated to ensure their safety from the Papuan armed criminal group.
"We will prioritise women and children for the first evacuation flights. We hope the evacuation process would be smooth and safe," Sukarnito remarked.
The decision to evacuate civilians from Kiwirok Sub-district was taken after the region came under attack, and the residents were terrorized by the Lamek Tablo-led separatist Papuan armed criminal group on Monday (Sept 13).
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During their terror attactsh to Kiwirok Sub-district, the criminals attacked health workers in the Kiwirok public health centre, resulting in the death of a health worker assaulted by the group and injuries to several others.
Apart from attacking the health workers, the Papuan terrorists also torched the Kiwirok public health centre, public elementary school, and Papuan Regional Development Bank office.
Before mounting terror attacks on Kiwirok, the separatist group had earlier set some backhoes, used for the Oksibil-ToweHitam road construction work, on fire to avenge the arrest of two group members, who had attempted to smuggle five firearms into Papua from PNG on Thursday (Sept 2).
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Translator: Evarukdijati, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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