26 Maybrat Residents Return To Home After KKB Papua Terrorized, Police Establish Posts To Maintain Conduciveness

WEST PAPUA - West Papua Police repatriated 26 refugees back to their homes in two villages in Maybrat Regency, Southwest Papua yesterday.

They fled to avoid attacks by armed criminal groups (KKB) in the Maybrat area and Bintuni Bay.

"We have returned them to their respective villages, 10 people in Kamat Village and 16 people in Kampung Ayata," said Head of Operations for the West Papua Police's Petik Bintang Task Force Kombes Pol Novia Jaya in a statement, Friday, April 14, which was confiscated by Antara.

He explained that the police are trying to gradually return all refugees to their respective villages, and in this operation a security post has been built in Kampung Ayata.

"It has been an eight-month since the community left their homes after the KKB attack," explained Novia Jaya. In addition to returning refugees, he said, the task force personnel had repaired the bridge damaged by the KKB some time ago. The police have also established security posts in Kampung Ayata to provide comfort for the community in carrying out their daily activities. "This is a form of the state being present in the midst of society, we are building security posts so that people are not afraid to move," he said.

The Head of Public Relations of the West Papua Police, Kombes Pol Adam Erwindi, explained that the 2023 Bintang Mansinam Petik Operation intended to provide security guarantees for the community in Maybrat Regency after the KKB attack which resulted in residents from a number of villages being displaced. He explained that the 2023 Star Mansinam Special Operation Task Force was dispatched from Manokwari to Maybrat on March 20, 2023 to carry out humanitarian missions. "There are still many residents who have fled and we are carrying out efforts to slowly return to their hometowns," explained Adam. The figure of the people of Aifat Timur Raya, Maybrat Regency, Zakheus Momao appreciated the implementation of Operation Petik Bintang Mansinam 2023 because so far people have lived in concerns about threats from the KKB. "The presence of members of the National Police makes people feel safe so that people are sure to return to their villages," he said.