CERTAIN PEOPLE WANTED TO DISRUPT POLLS IN PAPUA: GOVERNOR

Jayapura, April 9 (ANTARA) - Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu SH said a certain group of people were believed to have intended to disrupt Thursday's legislative elections in the province.

"Last night an incident occurred at the Abepura police precinct. Earlier, on Wednesday, a bomb exploded in Skouw Wutung near the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border and a motorcycle taxi driver was murdered in Wamena. And a fire also razed an oil depot of state oil and gas company Pertamina in Biak," he said after inspecting the burned office of the Cendrawasih University (Uncen) rector on Thursday.
The governor said the series of happenings suggested that a certain group of people wanted to disrupt the legislative polls in the country's eastern most province.

For their part, he added, security agencies had already taken prompt and proper steps to handle the cases.

The first step was searching, arresting and taking stern measures against anybody involved in an uncivilized act criminal offense, he said.

"I call on the entire people of Papua to continue to cast their votes and, along with security agencies, to preserve peace and order anywhere in the province so the legislative polls will run peacefully, smoothly and successfully," he said.

He also asked the local people to remain calm and carry out their daily activities as usual.

"I would like to rectify a Metro TV report saying that legislative polls in four districts in Papua have been delayed. The report is unfounded. There are a total of 7,648 TPS (polling stations) across the province and at 97 percent of them people cast their votes today (Thursday). At only three percent of the polling stations has it not happened, namely in the districts of Yahukimo, Paniai and Jayawijaya," he said.

Because of bad weather on Wednesday, election logistics could not be delivered by helicopter to the areas, he said.

Hopefully, vote-taking at the polling stations could be conducted on Friday, he added.***5***
PK-LWA/JPR
(S012/A/HAJM/B003)