Indonesian VP cancels visit in West Papua after attack

Indonesia's vice-president cancelled a visit in West Papua after a shooting attack on an aircraft in the area.

Gibran Rakabuming Raka was scheduled to land in Papua's Yahukimo regency yesterday, but changed plans following reports that Papuan militants shot at a plane the day before.

Indonesia's military and government today both confirmed that the visit to Dekai, Yahukimo's capital, was cancelled due to "security concerns".

A statement from the West Papua National Liberation Army, the TPNPB, claimed responsibility, saying its troops have been firing on aircraft entering Dekai. It released videos of several fighters including one showing armed Papuan fighters shooting at an aircraft overhead.

The TPNPB's Commander-in-Chief, Goliath Tabuni, warned that his troops remain on standby and were ready to kill the vice-president if he set foot in Yahukimo.

Raka had been touring several major centres in Papua to check on development projects. His previous stops in the towns of Biak and Wamena had gone to schedule without incident, officials said.

However, his planned visit to Yahukimo was postponed, the government said, because local and national security forces believed "there was sufficient threat to public safety".

The government said it could not confirm the reported shooting at civilian aircraft, but suggested the TPNPB, who it describes as an "armed criminal group", was mistaken in thinking it was shooting at the vice-president's delegation.

"As of now we heard that fortunately there's no casualty or victim from that unprovoked attack," a spokesperson said.

Yahukimo is a remote regency in Papua's Highland region, a region where the TPNPB's guerilla fighters' conflict with Indonesia's security forces has escalated in the past several years.

Major Tabuni said that members of the Indonesian government did not represent the Papuan people.