Manokwari: The governor of the province of West Papua, Abraham O. Atururi, said that there are no terrorists operating in Papua. He said that there are groups in Papua who are demanding independence for Papua, such as the OPM/TPN but these groups are quite different from the terrorists who are conducting acts of terror and shootings and bombings that are occurring  in Java and other parts of Indonesia.’If people say that there are Papuans who want independence, that is indeed true, but there are no terrorists.’

The governor was speaking at a public meeting in Manokwari.

The governor made this statement in order to contradict statements by political commentators  in the local press in Jayapura, claiming that terrorists are operating in Papua.

The paper also reported that the deputy chief of police in Papua, Brigadier-General Paulus Waterpauw recently denied that members of Densus 88 were operating in Papua.

(This is in contrast to the fact that the commander of Detachment 88, Tito Karnavian, was last week made the new Papua Police Chief, and repeated statements by police claiming Detachment 88 credit for apprehending so-called “terror suspects” across Papua in recent years – and significant video and photographic evidence of their presence at both armed raids, and against non-violent gatherings).[Translated by Carmel Budiardjo]