Four Thousand Personnel To Secure Regional Head Elections In Papua

JAYAPURA, Jan 30 (Antara) - At least four thousand security personnel will be deployed to guard the implementation of the regional head elections (pilkada) in 11 districts and cities in Papua. The personnel will comprise military and police officers from the headquarters in Jakarta, Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw stated at a meeting held to discuss security during pilkada, here, Monday. Security measures have been in place, as Papua is categorized as a conflict-prone area, he remarked. Jayapura City and the districts of Jayapura, Sarmi, and Intan Jaya have been identified as the highest risk areas, followed by Tolikara, Lanny Jaya, Nduga, Intan Jaya, Puncak Jaya, and Yapen, where outlawed armed groups often orchestrate attacks, Waterpauw revealed. The Indonesian government will organize the second simultaneous pilkada in seven provinces, 18 cities, and 76 districts across the country on February 15, 2017. Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous nation after China, India, and the US, has so far demonstrated mature democratic values, with the country holding its first direct general election in 2004 that was conducted peacefully and smoothly. The first Pilkada was held simultaneously in 264 regions in 32 out of Indonesia's 34 provinces on December 9, 2015, and was contested by 810 pairs of regional head candidates. The candidates comprised 123 women contesting for regional heads or deputy regional heads, or only 7.32 percent of the total figure.