Jayapura – The Free Papua Organisation (OPM) through Secretary General Anton Tabuni has refuted a statement by Puncak Jaya Regent Henock Ibo in relation to 100 OPM members under the leadership of National Liberation Army (TPN) commander Goliath Tabuni who came down from the mountains to rejoin society.

Speaking to Bintang Papua by cell phone on Sunday December 22, Anton Tabuni explained that what was conveyed by Henock Ibo was incorrect. “It was incorrect and nonsense, which 100 people? It was an irresponsible statement, we’re all at our headquarters”, said Tabuni.

“What was conveyed [in the statement] was simply a political game that doesn’t make sense, and is completely irrational, we under military commander General Goliath Tabuni are fighters, we’re not like government officials who go off to curry favour with the president by saying that Goliath and Anton Tabuni have surrendered, it’s nonsense”, explained Tabuni.

Tabuni also questioned the number of 100 people has been repeatedly mentioned. “It’s hard to believe that the total could be exactly 100 people? What’s going on here? We’ve been fighting for more than 50 years, and there have been many sacrifices, so there is no such thing as the word surrender, it’s just propaganda, there are no grounds for us to surrender, it never happened”, he asserted.

Earlier, Puncak Jaya regent Henock Ibo announced that 100 OPM members had surrendered and were being trained to become public order agency officers or Satpol PP members in Mulia, Puncak Jaya. (bom/don/l03)

[100 Anggota OPM Menyerah, Dibantah – Bintang Papua. Senin, 23 Desember 2013. Translated by James Balowski.]