Officials working on a troubled road project in Papua say Indonesia's military will complete the job this year.
In December, at least 16 Indonesians working on the Trans-Papua Highway in Nduga province were massacred by fighters from the West Papua Liberation Army.
The project was put on hold with the military saying it would take over work on the 4000 kilometre highway.
Photo: AFP
Combat engineers will reportedly carry out the construction, with hundreds of extra security personnel deployed to the area.
Detik News reports a military battalion has been assigned to the building of the project's remaining 16 bridges.
Indonesian army engineers had already been working on the Trans-Papua Highway project for a number of years.
Indonesian president Joko Widodo in West Papua, May 2017, inspecting work on the new Trans-Papua Highway, one of a series of infrastructure projects his government is building in the region. Photo: Theopilus Obed Lay
Military involvement in the project was cited by the Liberation Army as a central reason for killing the road workers, who were suspected of being soldiers.
