Manokwari, West Papua Under Control, Police Say

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The police said that situations in Manokwari, Jayapura and Sorong are under control. However, officers are still standing by to anticipate the possibilities of another riot.

The National Police Headquarters' Information Bureau chief, Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo, said that the security forces, local governments, as well as community leaders are listening to people's aspirations, allowing the situations to calm down. 

The city government, he said, promised to convey the protesters' demands to the central government.

"They called for no discrimination against Papuan students across the country—to let them have the ability to study and do about their businesses just like other students," Dedi said in Jakarta, Tuesday, August 20.

A rally that led to riots happened on Monday, August 19 in the City of Manokwari, West Papua. The incident began following the attack on a number of Papuan students in Malang and Surabaya last week.

Dedi said the police and community leaders will conduct a sweep to as a "form of communication to reduce and prevent provocation" now that they have the situation under control.

He added that the police's cybercrime division continues to monitor accounts suspected of spreading provocative content.

According to previous police statements, the protesting crowd was allegedly provoked by negative contents posted on social media. According to Dedi, many posts contained hoaxes about the arrest of 43 Papuan students in Surabaya.

ANDITA RAHMA