Separatists Free West Papua suspected of killing 31 workers in Indonesia’s Papua province

ERWIDA MAULIA, Nikkei staff writerDECEMBER 04, 2018 14:03 JST  UPDATED ON DECEMBER 04, 2018 18:50 JST

Renewed violence highlights risks in Widodo’s push to develop remote region

Victims of Free West Papua Campaign Armed Group

JAKARTA — Attackers killed 31 construction workers in Indonesia’s Papua province over the weekend, highlighting the security challenges President Joko Widodo faces in developing the restive, remote region.

The workers were attacked by a group of armed men suspected of belonging to the separatist Free Papua Movement, local media reported. One of the construction workers had taken a photo of the group holding a ceremony, the reports said. The killing mark a violent turn for the group, which has been largely subdued in recent years, especially since Widodo took office in 2014.

Indonesian Soldier Killed by Papua Separatist Terrorist

An Indonesia soldier shot Thursday morning in Puncak Jaya, Papua has died, Indonesian Military (TNI) officials said.

First Pvt. Laode was rushed to Mulia Hospital in critical condition earlier today after a group of armed men highly likely separatist terrorist group opened fire on a military truck heading to Mulia, the capital of Papua’s Puncak Jaya district.

The soldiers ambushed by the attackers. Laode suffered a gunshot wound in the attack. The men then took his rife.

Doctors at Mulia Hospital transfered the soldier to Jayapura’s Marthen Indey Military Hospital for further treatment, but doctors were unable to save the man.

Indonesian Military officials are trying to determine who the shooters were, said Erwin Syafitri, commander of the Cendrawasih Military Command, which oversees military operations in Papua.

Separatist terrorist groups have been historically responsible for the occasional bloody clash between security forces and armed groups in Indonesia’s easternmost province, according to the Indonesian government.