Blockade...

Yesterday some friends of ours attempted to go to Abe. However, the road was blocked. A group of inebriated locals had decided to block the road with fallen trees and burning tires. They were demanding $ before allowing folks to go through. If refused, they would wave their machetes around threateningly. The police were dispatched and asked the locals to clean up the road. They refused and so the police began shooting in the air. That had no effect so the police shot one of the men in the leg. He was taken to the hospital here in Sentani where he died. Probably more because he had more spirits than blood in his body than because of the wound. Upon hearing the news that their comrade had passed on, the men at the blockade became even more angry and threatening. I'm not sure how the whole thing ended, but it probably ended in arrests. There is so much more I could say about events like this, but I fear that I should not. It just makes me feel incredibly sad that these kinds of things happen with local folks...