Transfer of the 7 Tapol Trial Process to East Kalimantan to Avoid Conflict Scenarios

Transfer of the 7 Tapol Trial Process to East Kalimantan to Avoid Conflict Scenarios

Dismissing the notion that the transfer of the location of the trial of 7 Papuan political prisoners (tapol) as systematic discrimination, Head of the Public Relations Division of the Police Public Relations Commissioner Pol Asep Adi Saputra said, the transfer of 7 Papuan political prisoners to the East Kalimantan Regional Police Detention Center was carried out to avoid potential conflicts during the trial process.

"Based on information from the Papua Regional Police Chief, this is for the good in the Papua region with the intention that during the trial there was no chaos there. We avoid pros and cons efforts towards the trial," said Commissioner Asep Adi Saputra.

He stressed that as long as it was still in Indonesian jurisdiction, it was not an important case if the case file was handled by the Papua Regional Police, but the trial process in East Kalimantan.

"In certain cases legally it happened in Indonesia, no problem," Asep continued.

Asep claims the seven detainees will undergo trial in East Kalimantan. The police refused the will of the detainee's family to return them to Papua. Because security in Papua is at stake.

"In principle like that, there is indeed hope from his family to be returned [to Papua], but we are giving this step [placing prisoners in East Kalimantan] to protect the greater public interest," he concluded.