Nduga, Papua, MINA — Indonesian security services have launched an operation targeting separatists in the province of Papua after 31 construction workers were shot dead, DW reported, quoting authorities on Tuesday.
“This is the worst attack launched by the armed criminal group recently amid intensified development by the government,” Papua police spokesman Suryadi Diaz told The Associated Press.
Police are trying to recover the bodies, but Diaz said the separatists had scattered them throughout the district, which is known as a rebel stronghold.
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The workers were employed by the state-owned construction company Istaka Karya as part of a government-sponsored infrastructure project aimed at fostering economic development in the region.
Indonesian Public Workers Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said work stemming from the infrastructure project would be “suspended given this incident.” (T/RS5/RS1)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
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