INDONESIAN ARMY SAVES TEACHERS FROM BRUTALITY OF CRIMINAL GROUPS IN PAPUA by Fardah

  Jakarta, April 21, 2018 (Antara) - Another humanitarian tragedy occurred in a remote village in Tembagapura sub-district, Mimika District, Papua Province, when some 20 members of armed criminal groups (KKSB) recently terrorized teachers, following a hostage-taking incident in the same sub-district last year.

         "Indeed, the incident happened. Several male teachers' hands were tied up, and they were hit with guns, while female teachers were beaten, stripped naked, and one of them was raped. This is far too uncivilized, "Iltinus Omaleng, Mimika district head, told the press on April 17, 2018.

         Upon receiving reports on the brutality, the Indonesia Army deployed personnel to Aroanop village in Tembagapura to drive away the criminals and save the teachers who had become victims of the violence.

         Up to April 21, the Army has managed to evacuate a total of 16 teachers from Aoranop and put the remote village under control as the armed criminals have fled to the jungle.

         The evacuation process was carried out in two stages, namely on April 19 and 21, by using two helicopters belonging to the Indonesian Army.

         During the first evacuation process, led by Colonel Frits Pelamonia, commander of the Army's integrated task force to handle armed criminal groups (KKSB), the Indonesian Army personnel managed to evacuate 13 elementary school teachers, comprising seven female and six male teachers, from Aroanop.

         Pelamonia said there were a total of 18 contract-based teachers, comprising nine teachers in Aroanop elementary school and nine teachers in Jagamin elementary school. However, five teachers could not join the first evacuation process because of bad weather.

         The evacuation prioritized female teachers and those who were prosecuted by members of the criminal groups. Most of the teachers broke into tears upon arrival in Timika, and one of them fell unconscious.

         On April 21, three male teachers were evacuated from Aoranop.

         "Thank God, this morning we succeeded in evacuating three teachers from Aroanop. There were, in fact, five teachers there, but two are the local inhabitants of Aroanop, and so they decided to remain in their kampong since they are in good health," Pelamonia revealed.

         "We faced not only obstacles but also bad weather, which hampered the evacuation attempt on the second day (April 20). Therefore, it was carried out on the third day," he pointed out.

         On April 20, the task force tried to reach the village aboard a helicopter, but due to the thick fog and clouds, it returned back, and the evacuation was delayed until the next day.

         The remaining teachers were in good condition, as they were protected by several Army personnel who had brought the situation in the village under control.

         Currently, the Indonesian Army has taken back Aroanop village in Papua from armed criminal groups, led by Joni Botak and Sabinus Waker, respectively, according to Pelamonia. 
    "Aroanop is safe and under control. We, from the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), have taken control of it since 5:30 a.m. local time. My striking forces, four teams, have secured the village, and we have cleared it," Pelamonia said on April 19.

         The armed criminal groups had controlled Aoranop after being pushed backed by TNI from Banti kampong in Tembagapura.

         In Aoranop, the groups persecuted and seized belongings of nine elementary school teachers on April 13.

         "We have gathered local residents, and I gave them some guidance and convinced them that Aroanop, comprising six kampongs, is under control and local people could resume their normal activities," he revealed.    
    He added that his officers would chase the criminals believed to have fled to Jagamin kampong. One group has 10 members and the other has 5 to 6 members.

         "Jagamin is one of their routes to escape, and so we chased them. Our main task is to evacuate (several teachers). Hence, we have to secure the hilly areas to be used as evacuation route," he noted.

         Philipus Lefteuw, Principal of Aroanop elementary school, told the press that he was shocked when he heard about what had happened to his teachers.

         On Friday, April 13, the teachers in Aroanop experienced violence by armed criminal group members who ran away from Banti kampong after being chased by officers of TNI.

         "On Friday morning, there was no information. In the evening, the kampong chief called and said that Aroanob was destroyed. When I asked him what had happened, he said that outsiders (the group's members) attacked teachers in Omponi kampong, and several of them had became victims," Lefteuw revealed.

         He added that he regretted the tragedy, because it had never happened before.

         Col Muhammad Aidi, spokesman of the XVII Cenderawasih regional military command, told Antara that two Bell helicopters of the Army were deployed to evacuate the teachers.    
    "Alhamdulillah (Thank God), the evacuation of contract-based teachers was successful. They are now taken to Timika Regional Public Hospital for medical checkup," Aidi stated on April 19.   
    Earlier, on April 12, 2018, one teacher was gang-raped by three members of the armed criminal group.

         The victim, identified by her initial as MM, fell unconscious after being raped by three men. She later gained her consciousness but was traumatized, Senior Commissioner Ahmad Kamal, spokesman of the Papua Provincial Police, said on April 15. She had fallen unconscious for quite a long time and had been reported dead.

         Armed criminal groups in Papua frequently shoot police officers and kidnap people.   
    In November 2017, some 1.3 thousand people, comprising of over 850 indigenous Papuans and 346 migrant workers, had been held hostages by an armed criminal group in several villages in Tembagapura for about three weeks, until the Indonesian Army and Police managed to strike the criminals and free the hostages. ***2***
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EDITED BY INE/B003

(T.F001/A/BESSR/Bustanuddin) 22-04-2018