Komnas HAM Papua Admits Difficulty Asking For Information From Victims And Sinakma Riots Witnesses

Burning houses in the Sinakma area, Wamena, Thursday (23/2/2023). BETWEEN/HO-Personal Documents

PAPUA - The National Human Rights Commission for Papua Representatives is still having difficulty asking for information from victims of the riots in Sinakma, Wamena District, Jayawijaya Regency, Papua Province, Mountains. The Head of the Papua National Human Rights Commission, Frits Ramanday, confirmed that his team was still having trouble when asking for information from the victims of the Sinakma riots. Currently, only five victims of the Sinakma riot are being questioned, including two victims of the persecution that occurred on Sunday, February 26 evening. The Komnas HAM team also had difficulty asking for information from residents who were witnesses during the riots in Sinakma, Thursday, February 23, 2023. "It is true that the team still has difficulty asking for witness statements so that it will be rescheduled. In addition, we will also conduct a crime scene investigation to find out the positions of the victims," explained Frids Ramanday when contacted in Wamena, Antara, Tuesday, February 28. The riots that occurred in the Sinakma area, last Thursday, February 23, began with the issue of kidnapping children, resulting in the masses carrying out anarchic actions by burning shop houses and houses. As a result of the riots, 11 people died and 41 people were injured, including members of the National Police. Eleven victims who died in the riots have been buried, including two bodies sent to Medan, North Sumatra, for burial in their village. The security and public order situation in Wamena City is currently relatively safe and the security forces are still on standby at a number of location points to anticipate the possibility of unwanted things.