Jayapura, Jubi – A recent study by Australian National University’s doctoral student, Hipo Wangge, himself a native Papuan, shows that children in Papua’s Pegunungan Tengah province are traumatized by the arrival of the Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers to their schools, aiming to replace teachers who have fled their hometowns due to armed conflict.
Wangge said that according to interviews with a number of remaining teachers in Pegunungan Tengah, the students in the area did not feel comfortable with the presence of soldiers in classrooms.
“Students feel uneasy and cautious in conflict areas, such as Nduga, Puncak, and Yahukimo. And they are traumatized and afraid to see soldiers coming to their schools,” Wangge said.
