Off the southern coast of the island, probably between the districts of Mimika and Asmat, an Indonesian landing craft carrying government cargo vanished from sight. On July 15, the landing craft Cita XX left Mimika and headed for Asmat, carrying 4G telecom equipment for Bakti Kominfo, a government cell firm. On July 18, the ship was supposed to arrive with its twelve crew members, but it did not show up. It was declared past due on July 19, at which point a search was initiated.In support of the search and rescue mission, the Indonesian Navy sent out several small boat crews on Monday to search the several river estuaries along the coastline close to Agats. They also deployed the transport Teluk Lada-521. Additionally, merchant ships has been asked to assist by the Indonesian SAR agency, Basarnas. The telecom equipment carried by the Cita XX was eventually headed for the rugged Yahukimo district, located inland, where Indonesia has been fighting a separatist insurgency for several decades. Due to security concerns, foreign access to the area is restricted; these same worries have caused delays in the telecom project.The 4G project in Papua was given over to the Indonesian military in 2023 by President Joko Widodo of Indonesia “so that the construction can be started immediately and be assisted in terms of security.”
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