(Photo courtesy of/ Papua local police)
Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand Tantowi Yahya deeply regretted the shooting of PT Freeport Indonesia employees in the Kuala Kencana region, Papua by the Armed Criminal Group.
This was conveyed by Ambassador Tantowi Yahya in various national media in Indonesia and also through a press release issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Wellington on March 31, 2020 under the title of the press release “Amidst Covid-19, Armed Criminal Group Killed a New Zealander in Papua “.
The press release was also published by Radio New Zealand on March 31, 2020 with the title “NZer killed in shooting attack in West Papua”.
In the press release it was revealed that the shootings carried out by the Armed Criminal Group led by Joni Botak resulted in a New Zealand worker named Graeme Thomas Wall dead and injured two other civilians named Jibril Bahar and Ucok Simanungkalit.
Ambassador Tantowi Yahya expressed his concern over the incident which he said was a very serious case which could not be justified for any reason. “This is also evidence that the statement of the Armed Criminal Group in Papua which has claimed to have only killed security forces is not true at all,” he said.
Ambassador Tantowi Yahya added that the shooting in Kuala Kencana will only add the burdens of people and the security apparatus in Papua, who are now working hard in containing the Covid-19 epidemic. It demonstrates that the Armed Criminal Group never cares about the impact of their actions on the Papuans. He hopes this will open the eyes of the many people of the true face of the Armed Criminal Group.
Ambassador tantowi Yahya continued, “Our deepest condolences to the family of the victims. We stand ready to help when needed. “
Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw, revealed that the shooting carried out by the Armed Criminal Group occurred on Monday 30 March 2020 at 2 p.m. local time at the Freeport Office in the Kuala Kencana region, Papua. “The attack was carried out by firing employees who were working in the area. But until now there has been no complete report on the operation of arresting members of the Armed Criminal Group because the joint team members are still in the field,” he said.
In addition, Inspector General of Police Paulus Waterpauw reminded that Joni Botak was the leader of the Armed Criminal Group in the Timika region which had been on the list of the most wanted men by the police.
Freeport Indonesia spokesperson Riza Pratama also conveyed expressions of deep sorrow to Freeport workers who were killed and injured. For this reason, Freeport immediately issues a notification and asks all workers to take shelter in a safe place and stop their activities temporarily.
Tell The Truths wanted that the hunting effort against Joni Botak and its members could be immediately completed by a team of Indonesian security forces.
This tragic event was deeply regretted by Tell The Truths, who has been deeply concerned by the actions of the Armed Criminal Groups in Papua who endlessly strive to undermine the Indonesian government’s efforts to build stability and peace in Papua.
Tell the Truths urges that the perpetrators of the killings can be brought to justice immediately to account for their inhumane deeds.
In the midst of efforts to counter the negative effects of the Covid-19 Virus, this shooting event may open the eyes of the world to the barbarity that has been carried out by the Armed Criminal Groups in Papua.
