The West Papua Provincial Police is investigating an alleged transfer of village funds to an armed criminal group in the province.
Director of the Special Criminal Investigation Unit of the West Papua Provincial Police Senior Commissioner Romilus Tamtelahitu confirmed on Friday that Chief of the West Papua Provincial Police Inspector General Daniel Tahi Monang Silitonga had given directives to his men to probe the case.
“(The investigation of) the (alleged) transfer of village fund to support the activities that are against NKRI (the Unitary Republic of Indonesia) is one of the priority agendas of the West Papua Provincial Police in accordance with the provincial police chief’s directives and commitment,” he noted.
He remarked that a joint team of personnel from the provincial police is conducting in-depth investigation into the use of village funds in two areas that frequently become a target of attacks by the armed criminal group and are affiliated to the West Papua National Committee (KNPB).
“The joint team is investigating thoroughly the use of village funds in Maybrat and Teluk Bintuni districts where attacks on state apparatuses and civilians occurred in the past couple of years,” he remarked.
Tamtelahitu said several villages in the two districts had become the target of investigation into the use of village fund because they are believed to be the stronghold of KNPB.
“There has been an indication of several villages abusing village funds to support activities that are against the state ideology of Indonesia,” he said.
On October 21, 2022, the Maluku Provincial Police arrested six people suspected of smuggling several firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from Maluku to Papua.
Director of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Maluku Provincial Police Senior Commissioner Andi Iskandar said that based on preliminary investigation, the suspects intended to smuggle the firearms and ammunition to meet orders from Papua’s residents.
“It is true, (they) planned to smuggle firearms and ammunition from Maluku to Papua after they received orders from Papuan residents,” he said.
Source: Antara News