Local residents, especially those working as ojek drivers, must continue to stay alert for the sake of their own safety by not transporting passengers to high-risk areas, he said.
"There are some areas that are prone to security disturbances by armed Papuan separatist terrorist groups operating in those areas," Fakhiri said in a statement that ANTARA received here on Thursday.
Therefore, ojek drivers need to avoid high-risk areas though they are reportedly paid Rp200 thousand for ferrying passengers to Tingginambut sub-district, Puncak Jaya district, he said.
Ojek drivers operating in Papua province have often been easy targets for Papuan separatist terrorists, as shown by a deadly assault that occurred in Lombuk village, Tingginambut sub-district, on April 12, 2022.
The attack resulted in an ojek driver's death, Fakhiri said, adding that Papua's remote areas that are prone to insurgent-led security disturbances include the districts of Puncak, Intan Jaya, Puncak Jaya, and Nduga.
The dead ojek driver has been identified as Soleno Lolo. His colleague, identified as Sauku Dg Paewa, suffered a gunshot wound on the head in the shooting incident that claimed Lolo’s life.
The National Police and Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel are continuing to protect local residents from the security threat posed by armed Papuan groups, Fakhiri added.
Papua has been witness to a continuous cycle of violence over the past few years, with armed groups in the districts of Intan Jaya, Nduga, and Puncak targeting civilians and security personnel.
Intan Jaya recorded its bloodiest month in September 2020 when armed groups launched a series of attacks in the area that claimed the lives of two soldiers and two civilians and left two others injured.
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On September 17, 2020, for instance, Papuan rebels tortured and killed a 49-year-old Ojek motorcycle taxi driver, identified as Badawi.
On September 13, 2020, armed separatists opened fire at two Ojek drivers in Sugapa area, but the drivers managed to survive the attack.
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The acts of terror have continued this year.
On March 2, 2022, several members of an armed Papuan group operating in Beoga sub-district, Puncak district, killed eight Palaparing Timur Telematika (PTT) workers, who were repairing a base transceiver station (BTS) tower belonging to state-owned telecommunications operator Telkomsel.
The workers were identified as B, R, BN, BT, J, E, S, and PD, while another worker, only identified by his initials as NS, survived the deadly assault, according to Papua Police spokesperson Senior Commissioner Ahmad Kamal.
The killing of PTT workers was not the first tragedy to strike the eastern Indonesian province.
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On December 2, 2018, a group of armed Papuan rebels had brutally killed 31 PT Istaka Karyaworkers, who were engaged in the construction and building of the Trans Papua project in Kali Yigi and Kali Aurak in Yigi sub-District, Nduga district, Papua province.
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Translator: Evarukdijati, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
