VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Vice Governor of Papua Klemen Tinal (center). ANTARA/Hendrina Dian Kandipi/am - 

Papua Deputy Governor Klemen Tinal has urged native Papuans in Beoga to assist the authorities' efforts to evacuate non-natives who get terrorized by armed Papuan criminals operating in the sub-district's areas.

"The evacuation of non-natives who generally work as teachers and paramedics in Beoga is so important for their safety. Native Papuans are encouraged to assist the evacuation efforts," he said in a statement that ANTARA quoted here Saturday.

Tinal said local security personnel have evacuated some 40 non-natives from Beoga for safety reasons following the fatal shootings of two teachers in Julukoma Village last week.

He said the killings of the two teachers were not justifiable and acceptable on any ground because they had struggled for making Papua's children to get educated.

In fact, the introduction of formal education is a bit late compared to religious education in Beoga.

Therefore, Tinal appeals to all people not to disrupt the formal education by killing teachers so that local children can still receive education to make them literate.Papua Province has borne witness to a string of violent attacks by notorious armed Papuan criminals targeting civilians and security personnel in the past two years.

On April 8, 2021, several armed Papuan criminals opened fire at a kiosk in Julukoma Village, Beoga Sub-district, at about 9:30 a.m. local time.

The shooting incident resulted in the death of a Beoga public elementary school teacher, Oktovianus Rayo.

After killing Rayo, the armed attackers continued their acts of terror by torching three classrooms of the Beoga public senior high school.

On Friday (April 9), the armed Papuan criminals again assaulted another teacher, Yonatan Randen. This junior high school teacher was shot on his chest.

Several villagers attempted to save Randen's life by moving him to the Beoga public health center, but he died.

On Sunday evening (April 11), the armed criminals set ablaze nine classrooms of the Beoga public junior high school.

Papua Police Chief Insp. Gen. Mathius D. Fakhiri has vowed to trace and crack down on the killers of these two teachers.

"The TNI (Indonesian military) and police personnel will never retreat even a single step in enforcing the law against the killers," Fakhiri stated in Timika on Tuesday.

Fakhiri emphasized that the law enforcement units will make persistent efforts to trace and crack down on the killers of the two teachers//ANT