By : Alfred Jigibalom )*
The Terrorist Separatist Group (KST) still shows its brutality, the security disturbances carried out by this group make the people of Papua feel insecure so that they have to leave their homes to flee.
Nogoloit Village, Kenyam District, Nduga Regency, Papua Mountains is the place KST targeted for carrying out this brutal action. The security disturbance that occurred made the residents living in that location choose to secure themselves inside the city.
It is known that gunfire between the joint security forces and KST led by Yotam Bugiangge occurred in Nogoloit Village on Friday 25 May 2023 and Monday 30 May 2023.
Nduga Police Chief AKBP Rio Alexander Panelewen said, there were 156 Nogoloit residents who had secured themselves in Kenyam, they were temporarily being accommodated at the Siloam Church.
According to him, residents were afraid to stay in their respective homes, because before the gunfight occurred last Monday, KST had entered shops to ask residents for some money.
Because of that, the residents then asked the security forces to evacuate them to the city of Kenyam so that they would not become victims of KST. The Nduga Police have also provided food assistance to residents and increased patrols and focused more on law enforcement.
The security forces then succeeded in arresting a KST member with the initials MK who was allegedly involved in the killing of 11 residents in Nogoloit Village in September 2011. In addition, the security forces also arrested someone suspected of being a KST sympathizer. Previously, KST did not hesitate to use mothers and children as shields and seize weapons from the TNI apparatus.
To deal with the latest situation related to KST Papua, TNI Commander Admiral Yudo Margono has upgraded the status of operations in Nduga, mountainous Papua to a combat alert operation.
Increased combat alert is carried out only in vulnerable areas. The vulnerable areas are KST operational areas. Physically, there is no change in the strength of the main tool of the weapon system and weaponry.
Head of the Information Center (Kapuspen) Julius Widjojono said the order by the TNI commander was based on KST’s increasingly brutal, aggressive and uncontrollable actions.
So far the TNI has taken a humanist approach to KST and its sympathizers, but this approach must still require firmness and a vigilant attitude.
The existence of KST in Papua with all its evil actions so far has certainly created an endless sense of fear for the people of Papua. It is not wrong for Papuans to become inflamed and express their jealousy towards their compatriots and fellow countrymen in other areas who are allowed to enjoy the dynamics of normal life without fear from the sudden attack from KST.
The brutal acts of KST have made the Papuan people even more miserable, this is because the attacks from KST have stopped community activities. This shows that acts of terror in Papua can stop community activities such as buying and selling.
Kapendam XVII/Cenderawasih Colonel Herman Taryaman said that KST in Intan Jaya recently had frequently disturbed the TNI-Polri, and even terrorized the community. Because of that, the community was on alert by raising arrows to drive away the KST when it came to their village.
Herman explained, in the last two days KST often carried out attacks on the TNI-Polri in Sambili Village and Bilogai Village. Gunfire between KST was unavoidable.
This incident caused the people in Sambili Village, Kusage Village, Mamba Bawah Village and Bilogai Village to feel restless, because KST often uses residents as their shields, thus threatening people’s lives. However, equipped with bows, residents in Intan Jaya agreed to get involved in efforts to expel KST from their area.
Herman also added that the Forkopimda of Intan Jaya Regency also paid attention. They agreed to fight against the KST mob that made the area unsafe.
He explained, the TNI-Polri would certainly be in the midst of society to provide a sense of security. And currently Alert 1 is implemented in anticipation of a follow-up attack.
Previously it was reported that KST had carried out an attack in the Intan Jaya area, Central Papua for 2 days. Initially KST equipped with rifles attacked TNI officers in Sambili Village, Kusage Village, Intan Jaya.
The KST group using 2 rifles tried to attack the TNI Yonif 305/TKR while they were in Sambili Village heading to Kusage Village, Intan Jaya Regency.
After that, KST again attacked the Police Mobile Brigade Post in Bilogai Village. However, Herman said there were no fatalities in the incident even though there was gunfire.
KST often uses weapons when carrying out their actions, of course the various attacks carried out by KST must be stopped. KST has actually undermined security and peace in Papua, a series of terror incidents such as burning of public facilities and shootings have made the Papuan people have no sympathy for what KST is doing.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Bali
