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Locals anxious after clash
Jakarta Post - October 28, 2016
The fatal incident created anxiety among locals, with residents in Manokwari, the capital of West Papua province, choosing to remain at home.
"The city was gripped with fear and the streets were deserted. Residents preferred to stay at home because they felt more secure inside," Manokwari resident Rustam told The Jakarta Post by phone Thursday.
Several streets in the city, such as Jl. Gunung Salju and the Sahara Bridge, were littered with leftovers from burned car tires. A number of logs used by residents to blockade the streets were left there.
"Schools were closed, the entrance of the Hadi supermarket was also partly closed. Stores along Jl. Gunung Salju were not in operation and the streets were guarded by the police and military personnel," said Rustam.
The clash on Wednesday night left one person, Onesimus Rumayom, dead. Police said Onesimus died of severe bleeding after his thigh was pierced by a rubber bullet.
"According to doctors at the Manokwari Navy Hospital, the shot to the leg was not the cause of death, and the victim died before arriving at the hospital. They believe the cause of death was due to a heart attack," West Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Royke Lumowa said in Manokwari on Thursday.
Other injured victims were still being treated at the hospital. A Sanggeng District Military Command member was slashed with a machete because, during the clash, he was at the scene wearing civilian clothes. "He intended to break up the clash but was slashed," said Royke.
The clash was triggered by an attack on a resident, Vigal Paus-Paus, who was stabbed in Sanggeng, Manokwari. He then went home to tell his parents. Residents, who saw Vigal bleeding immediately from a stab wound, immediately rushed to a police post located at the Sanggeng junction.
"Residents did not chase the attacker but instead headed to the police post. In such a situation of being swarmed, police members fired gunshots to disperse the crowd while protecting themselves. My men fired shots at a low direction, which were not fatal and that's why two people were shot in the thigh," said Royke.
The clash that broke out at night apparently did not escalate thanks to a quick reaction by security personnel. "During the clash, some in the mob carried containers of gasoline. Had the police personnel not arrived at the location quickly, this place could have been burned down," he said.
Separately, Manokwari Research, Study and Legal Aid Development Institute (LP3BH) director Yan Christian Warinussy said the clash, which resulted in residents suffering from gunshot wounds, was believed to be a gross human rights violation and had been reported to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
LP3BH recorded nine people that fell victim to violence by the apparatus, either being shot or assaulted.
"Eight people were shot during the incident on Wednesday at around 11:30 p.m. local time in Sanggeng, Manokwari, and one person was hit by security personnel on Thursday when he was visiting a relative who was being treated at Navy Hospital in Manokwari," Yan wrote in a release to the Post.
Meanwhile, Onesimus' body was still at the Navy Hospital mortuary tightly guarded by the Police's Mobile Brigade personnel.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/28/locals-anxious-after-clash.html.
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