The bodies of two police officers — Zulkifli and Prayoga, who were shot and killed by suspected separatists in Papua — are to be evacuated to the provincial capital of Jayapura on Tuesday.
The body of Zulkifli was being evacuated from Wamena, while that of Prayoga was being moved from Tiom to Wamena, en route to Jayapura, Papua Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Paulus Waterpaw said on Tuesday.
The evacuation of the two bodies to Jayapura was not undertaken immediately as the body of Prayoga was not found until Monday afternoon, Waterpaw said.
"Hopefully the process of evacuation can be carried out without incident," Waterpaw said as quoted by Antara news agency.
The two were killed in an ambush in the regency of Lanny Jaya on Jl. Pirime, leading to Maki, where Papua Police chief Ins. Gen. Tito Karnavian and his entourage were attacked by a group of armed civilians in 2012.
Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Sulistyo Pudjo said four police officers were hit in the ambush. They were on duty to increase local people’s awareness of the law, Sulistyo said in Jayapura on Tuesday.
Zulkifli and Prayoga suffered fatal head wounds while the other two officers were injured, he added.
"We condemn the attack. It is contemptible as the officers were carrying out social duties," Sulistyo said.
The police want to help people keep pace with the fast-changing situation in the province and to bring modernity to isolated areas, he said.