Nurkholis, the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) vice chairman for external affairs, expressed hope that the police, the National Defense Forces (TNI) and Papuans could refrain from committing further violence because such acts would hamper efforts to initiate a dialogue.
"We will continue to strive for dialogue as a solution to the tensions in Papua," he said.
About the ongoing investigation into the recent acts of violence in Papua in which several people had already been detained by the police, Nurkholis urged the authorities to respect the rights of the people in their custody such as the right to be visited and be assisted by a lawyer.
Last Wednesday (Oct 19), local authorities in Papua dispersed the Third Papua People`s Congress leading to violent clashes that caused the death of several people.
Meanwhile, on Monday (Oct 24), Papua province`s Mulia Sector Police Chief Adjunct Commissioner Dominggus Otto Awes was shot twice in the head. Awes was monitoring activities at Mulia airport alone when suddenly he was attacked by two persons who grabbed his weapon.
Police said the man who shot to death the chief of the Mulia district police in Papua earlier on Monday belonged to a separatist group. The National Police`s Criminal Investigation Department has sent three teams to Papua to hunt the gunmen who had shot dead Awes. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
