The Separatist and Terrorist Group (KST) is an armed gang that does not reflect the Papuan people at all. It is indicated that the existence of this group has participated in the massacre of Papuan civilians, so strict action must be taken.
A Joint Team consisting of TNI-Polri security forces under the Cartenz Peace Operations Task Force has revealed the identities of six victims of the massacre carried out by Papuan separatist armed groups in Kali I, Seredela District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Mountains.
A search and search carried out in the early hours of Friday 27 October 2023 succeeded in finding these six bodies. The six victims were then evacuated to the Dekai Regional General Hospital for the post-mortem and identification process.
AKBP Bayu Suseno, Head of the Cartenz 2023 Peace Public Relations Task Force, revealed a situation that brought feelings of emotion and relief at the same time. According to him, the identities of the six victims of the massacre by the KST (Separatist and Terrorist Group) in Kali I Seredela District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Mountains, have been identified.
However, amidst his relief, Bayu also revealed that there were two victims who still had question marks regarding their identities. Rangga and Ibrahim, Bayu stated, still do not have clear identities. This was due to limited information obtained from witnesses, who only identified them by their colloquial nicknames, and no official identification was found at the crime scene.
When the two victims were found, they were in a very terrible state. There is a strong suspicion that the two bodies had undergone severe torture, namely being burned alive by an armed group. AKBP Bayu Suseno explained that the six bodies, including Akmal and Andika, were found in a rotting and pathetic condition. This is clear evidence of the cruelty committed by KST in this tragic incident.
After going through a long and tiring identification process, the six bodies were finally handed over to their families so they could be given a proper burial. Bayu explained that after successfully identifying the victims, the six bodies were handed over to the families.
The funeral was carried out immediately on the same day, at 18.00 WIB, Friday 27 October, at the Kilometer 6 Dekai Yahukimo Public Cemetery (TPU). This funeral process became the closing moment of this terrible tragedy, where the victims finally found their final peace.
The police together with the Indonesian National Army (TNI) are committed to taking firm action against the perpetrators of this massacre. AKBP Bayu Suseno emphasized that the police and TNI will unite in pursuing and enforcing the law against KST (Separatist and Terrorist Group) members who were involved in this tragic incident.
It is hoped that this firm action will be a concrete step in providing justice for the victims and preventing similar actions in the future.
The identities of the six victims who were identified were Oktavianus Lenteng alias Boplang, Marselinus Luik, Akmal, Andika, Ibrahim and Rangga. They are traditional gold miners who became victims of atrocities by armed separatist groups in Dekai, Yahukimo, Papua Mountains. Information from this case reveals that the six victims were immigrants.
Kombes Ignatius Benny Prabowo, Head of Public Relations of the Papua Police, explained that four of the six victims had been completely identified. However, there are still two victims, Ibrahim and Rangga, whose nicknames are only known, because no official identification was found on their bodies.
The condition of the bodies when they were found was very worrying, some of them were even burned before an autopsy and post-mortem were carried out. Head of the Cartenz Peace Public Relations Task Force, AKBP Bayu Suseno, explained that the six bodies found were in a very pathetic condition. Because it was rotting, and some were burnt by KST (Separatist and Terrorist Group) Papua.
After identification and medical examination, the six bodies have been handed over to their families for burial. The TNI and Polri will continue to pursue and take action against the perpetrators responsible for this massacre.
These six bodies were found as a result of a search of the Kali I area, Seredela District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Mountains, after the attack by the armed separatist group Papua Merdeka in mid-October 2023.
During the attack, seven traditional gold miners were found dead. Joint TNI-Polri personnel were even involved in armed contact with the separatist group when evacuating seven bodies and 11 surviving gold miners.
Finally, a number of residents reported that their family members had not returned from the traditional gold mining area. In a wider search in the Kali I area, six bodies were found, bringing the number of victims as a result of the KST attack to 13 people.
The massacre of civilians by separatist armed groups in the Papua Mountains has caused deep sorrow. The six victims, traditional gold miners who came to earn a living, fell victim to unimaginable cruelty.
Identification of the victims is the first step towards justice, but there is still work to be done to bring the perpetrators to justice. To the entire community, let us together condemn this cruel act and support law enforcement steps to end this terror in the land of Papua.
