Reportedly, the chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces’ (TNI) information centre, Major General Achmad Riad said the TNI is ready to assist the National Police in arresting all members of armed separatist and terrorist groups operating in Papua province.
AWPA activist Joe Collins said: “These statements from the president and government officials have the potential to cause an escalation of violence in Papua leading to the security forces conducting military sweeps in the area. We all know what happens when the Indonesian military undertake security operations; houses get burnt, livestock gets killed, gardens destroyed and people literally flee into the jungle where they face starvation.”