Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel shot dead three Papuan armed separatist group members on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Puncak Jaya regency, Central Papua Province.
Spokesman of Papua’s Cendrawasih Regional Military Command, Lieutenant Colonel Candra Kurniawan, said personnel of the 753rd Infantry Battalion in Puncak Jaya were engaged in gun fight upon seeing Teranus Enumbi, an identified member of the armed Free Papua Movement (OPM) along with his peers in a residential area of Karubate village, Muara District.
“They (separatist group members) shot at the 753rd Infantry Battalion personnel who were about to arrest them at a small kiosk in the village. Three of them, identified as SW (33 years old), YW (41) and DW (36), were killed in gunfire exchanges, while Teranus Enumbi managed to flee the scene,” Candra said in a statement on July 18, 2024.
“Batalion personnel also confiscated one homemade pistol and Free Papua morning star flag in the operation,” he added.
The Teranus Enumbi group is well known for their actions of killing civilians and security officers. Teranus Enumbi himself has been on the police’s wanted list for an attack on a military officer in 2018 . Several actions of the group are :
- On June 19, 2024: Attacked and shot dead a motorcycle taxi driver, identified as Husen (39 years old)
- On May 31, 2024: Attacked and shot a civilian, identified as Prasetyo (33 years old)
- May 30, 2024: Attacked and shot motorcycle taxi driver Jainul (44 years old)
- On March 19, 2024: Attacked, shot and stabbed two security officers, identified as First Sergeant Ismunandar and Chief Sergeant Salim.
Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua has seen armed separatism movement for decades after Indonesia took over territorial sovereignty of the western part of Papua Island from the Dutch Colonial government in 1963.
