Sorong, Jubi – The Papua Special Committee of the Regional Representative Council (DPD RI) says it will use its institutional political authority if police fail to promptly identify those responsible for the alleged shooting of three residents in Maybrat Regency, Southwest Papua Province.
The statement was made by Papua Special Committee member Filep Wamafma after a meeting at the Southwest Papua Governor’s Office in Sorong on Monday (14/9/2026).
“We, the Papua Special Committee, will recommend to the leadership that if the Southwest Papua Police and its officers, including the Maybrat Police, do not quickly identify the perpetrators, the DPD RI, through the Papua Special Committee, may summon the police chief for the purposes of the committee’s investigation,” Wamafma said.
Three residents were allegedly shot in Ainot Village, East Central Aifat District, Maybrat Regency, Southwest Papua Province, on 13 August 2026.
The victims were Silvester Assem, 25, Anike Fatie, 47, and Selfiana Sorry, 66.
Wamafma said the committee’s role was to gather information and data, hear directly from residents and ensure that the state provided legal certainty and protection to the community.
“The committee is not seeking to determine who is right or wrong. We are in the process of gathering information and data. The community is still waiting for certainty from the police, the Southwest Papua Police and the Maybrat Police, about who carried out the shooting. That is the main issue,” he said.
He said law enforcement authorities should provide the public with an update on the case, as the shooting had occurred a month earlier.
He added that the investigation should continue based on the evidence already collected.
“Whoever the perpetrator is must be fully identified, and this must be done through a transparent and accountable legal process. The community needs certainty,” he said.
Wamafma said the committee had also received complaints about residents in several parts of Maybrat who were living in fear because military posts had been established in every village and operated under strict procedures.
He said the presence of security personnel should remain focused on protecting the community and should not create a situation in which residents felt their freedom of movement was increasingly restricted.
The Papua Special Committee will therefore recommend an evaluation of the deployment of troops in areas that continue to experience conflict.
“We will also make further recommendations so that the TNI commander and the national police chief can evaluate and develop better methods for deploying troops in conflict-affected areas,” Wamafma said.
He said the evaluation was important to ensure that the presence of security personnel genuinely provided a sense of safety for residents rather than increasing fear. (*)
