West Papua: Soldiers kill child before being attacked

Soldiers kill child before being attacked in Wamena: Source

Sita W. Dewi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta |

Wed, 06/06/2012 8:22 PM

Two soldiers with the Indonesian Military (TNI) reportedly fatally hit a child while riding a motorbike before they were attacked by an angry mob in Honai Lama, Wamena, Jayawijaya regency in Papua on Wednesday afternoon local time, unconfirmed reports say.

A source, who refused to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, told The Jakarta Post that the incident had provoked anger among local residents, who later vented their feelings upon the soldiers. The attack resulted in the death of First Pvt. Ahmad Sahlan, while the other soldier, Sgt. Parloi Pardede, was rushed to Wamena Hospital in critical condition.

“[The soldiers] hit the child and the child died. That’s why the residents became very angry and attacked them,” he said Wednesday over the phone.

Previous reports said that the soldiers were attacked by residents of Honai Lama after the two men almost hit a child while riding a motorcycle in the region.

The situation in Wamena soon became chaotic after the incident as a group of soldiers angrily screened civilians after the incident.

“We don’t know yet about the number of soldiers who were involved in the screenings. But as of 6:30 p.m. [local time], many houses and stores had been set ablaze, causing many residents to flee the area,” the source said, adding that he had yet to receive reports as to whether there were any civilian victims.

At the time of writing, the Post is trying to verify the source’s reports.

ENDS

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