Spontaneous Incident in Nduga

After the hostage situation involving Lorentz Expedition researchers in Mapenduma, Papua, in 1996, the attack on state-owned construction firm road workers in Yigi district, Nduga regency, has put the region back under the spotlight.

ANTARA FOTO/IWAN ADISAPUTRA

Indonesian Mobile Brigade police officers arrive at Wamena on Dec. 4, after 31 construction workers are believed to have been shot dead. Indonesia is investigating the reported shooting in the restive Papua province.

After the hostage situation involving Lorentz Expedition researchers in Mapenduma, Papua, in 1996, the attack on state-owned construction firm PT Istaka Karya’s road workers in Yigi district, Nduga regency, on Sunday (2/12/2018), has put the region back under the spotlight.

In the past year, the activities of armed criminal groups have been on the rise. The attack on Yigi occurred only two months after the hostage-taking of 15 teachers and nurses in Mapenduma and five months after the shooting of a Trigana Air aircraft in Nduga’s capital Kenyam, which injured the pilot and killed three passengers. These incidents have placed Nduga om the list of high-risk regions in Papua, alongside Puncak, Puncak Jaya and Lanny Jaya regencies. Former Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw called the three regions “the black triangle”.

The regions are identified as bases for an armed group of civilians fighting for Papuan freedom called the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN-OPM). Their prominent figures include Goliath Tabuni, Puron Wenda and Enden Wanimbo.

National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Papua office head Frits Ramandey said the attack on PT Istaka Karya’s workers was believed to have been committed by young people aged around 30 years old. The high prevalence of attacks in the past year reflects the Papuan freedom movement’s ongoing effort of showing its existence and fighting back against the pressures of law enforcement.

Frits said the attacks were committed spontaneously and reflected the lack of a clear command structure. Despite the groups in Papua’s Pegunungan Tengah region always referring to Goliath Tabuni as their highest leader, the attack in Yigi shows otherwise.

A senior member of the Papuan freedom movement said the attack indicated a lack of integration between the political and armed factions within the movement.

“The attack shows that [the movement’s] leadership is not rock solid and cannot control members of the movement,” the senior member said.

Citing statements by Free Papua Movement (OPM) activists, Frits said many regretted attacks on civilians, including nurses, teachers and development project workers. They said such attacks undermined the OPM’s image, public sympathy and political consolidation.