8 Feb 2016

Jakarta accused of staging Papua arms find

12:02 pm on 8 February 2016

The Free Papua Movement has denied that hundreds of rounds of ammunition, firearms and explosives confiscated by police during a raid on Wednesday night belonged to the organisation, accused instead the authorities of staging the arms find.

In the raids police seized 241 rounds of ammunition, two firearms and a replica gun, four pipe-bombs, a flag of the West Papua National Committee, a laptop and a mobile phone.

The Free Papua Movement, or OPM, spokesman, Saul Bomay, said the group did not have the funds to purchase such an amount of weaponry, and the raid was set up by the security forces to increase tension in Papua.

According to the Jakarta Post report, the secretary general, Anthon Tabuni, claimed that the Indonesian military had staged many incidents purportedly involving the OPM, citing 10 Puncak Jaya residents described as OPM members who were reported to have surrendered to authorities last week.

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Photo: RNZI