One Shot Dead During Trouble Makers-Joint Forces Shoot Out in Papua

Jayapura, Papua (Antara) - A member of the trouble maker group "Jhon Beanal" was shot dead during a shootout by the joint forces of Indonesian Military and Police at PT Freeport's east embankment operational area, Papua. Vice Head of Papua Police Brigadier General Paulus Waterpauw informed Antara in Papua, on Friday, that the victim could be ascertained as a member of Jhon Beanal AKA Jhon Botak Group since the east embankment of PT Freeport area was known to be their hideout. "The shooting took place on the night of Thursday, January 9, during the joint force's regular patrol in that area," he explained. According to Waterpauw, the current situation post the shooting remained conducive and the deceased was being sought to be evacuated. "Now, we are still waiting for the last of the process to identify the deceased," Waterpauw explained. Besides, it was raining during the shootout, and that had caused the process of the evacuation even more difficult. The joint forces found an M-16 gun on the victim and saved it as evidence. During the ten minute shooting, the police estimated, the Jhon Beanal group had ten to twenty members and possessed around four guns, Waterpauw explained. The current report stated that the operational work of PT Freeport is still on and the residents who lived around the location are all safe. "The shooting location was far away from the PT Freeport and the residential area," Waterpauw pointed out. (*)