Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - A Lion Air plane on Sunday transported the coffins of eight civilians, who were shot dead by armed Papuan separatist terrorists in Nduga District on Saturday, to their respective hometowns from Timika in Mimika District, Papua Province.
Three caskets were sent to Makassar, South Sulawesi, and three others to Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, while two more coffins were flown to Medan, North Sumatra, and Palu, Central Sulawesi, respectively.
According to Mimika Police Chief Adjunct Sen.Coms I Gede Putra, nine civilians were shot dead by the Egianus Kogoya-led terrorists in Nogolaid Village, Kenyam Sub-district, Nduga District, Papua, on Saturday.
Eight of the nine dead victims had been sent to their families who live outside Papua. They were buried in their respective hometowns while the other one had been buried in Timika, he said
The dead victims are identified as Priest Elias Serbaye (54), Yulius Watu (23), Habertus Goti (41), Daeng Maramli (41), Taufan Amir (42), Johan (26), Alex (45), Yuda Hurusinga (27), and Sirajudin (27).
During the fatal shooting incident, two civilians, identified as Sudirman and Hasdin, survived but sustained gunshot wounds. They are currently in stable condition, and have received medical treatment, he added.
Over the past few years, armed Papuan groups have often employed hit-and-run tactics against Indonesian security personnel and mounted acts of terror against civilians in the districts of Intan Jaya, Nduga, and Puncak to instil fear among the people.
The targets of such acts of terror have included construction workers, motorcycle taxi (ojek) drivers, teachers, nurses, doctors, students, street food vendors, and even civilian aircraft.
