Police: Flight operations in Mulia suspended after unrest

Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) – Deadly violence that erupted in Mulia, the capital of Puncak Jaya district in central Papua, on Wednesday forced a temporary suspension of civilian flights to and from the city, a local police official said.

Air traffic will remain suspended until further notice, Puncak Jaya police chief Adjunct Sen Coms Kuswara told ANTARA on Thursday in a telephone conversation from Jayapura, the capital of Papua province.

Currently, the overall situation in Mulia is relatively favorable, but the police remain vigilant as many residents are still afraid to resume their outdoor activities and economic activities, he said.

“We hope that the security situation will soon ease so that flight operations can resume and local activities can return to normal,” he said.

To help restore law and order, the Papuan police deployed joint forces from the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) and the Operation Peace Cartenz Task Force to Mulia.

They arrived on Thursday and joined their colleagues from Puncak Jaya Police Station to begin efforts to restore law and order in the city.

Wednesday’s unrest broke out after three insurgents from the armed group led by Teranus Enumbi were killed in Karubate village in Muara sub-district of Puncak Jaya district on Tuesday (July 16, 2024).

The rebels, identified as SW (33), YW (41) and DW (36), died in a shootout with members of the RK 753/AVR Infantry Battalion Task Force, according to the XVII Cenderawasih Regional Military Command.

According to Kuswara, the ensuing violence resulted in the death of one resident and four others injured.

Abdulah Jaelani (30) died as a result of injuries sustained by a sharp weapon, he said, adding that the injured were identified as Novald Dermawan, Arief, Safrudin and Bude Nina.

They sustained injuries after rioters pelted them with stones and launched attacks with arrows and sharp weapons. The rioters also set fire to several vehicles parked near Mulia Public Hospital.

In recent years, armed groups have frequently carried out lightning attacks on Indonesian security forces and terrorist attacks against civilians in the districts of Intan Jaya, Nduga and Puncak in an attempt to instill fear and terror among the population.

Targets of such terrorist attacks included construction workers, motorcycle taxi drivers (ojek), teachers, students, street vendors and even civilian aircraft.

Related news: Brimob-Cartenz team in Mulia to restore law and order
Related news: TNI staff organize study activity for children in Central Papua