By: Sabby Kosay) *
Criminal acts and cruel actions are a stigma attached to Papuan separatist groups. As a result, they are not only hostile to the people of Papua, but also Papua New Guinea.
The Armed Criminal Group (KKB) of Papua, apparently looking for a hiding place in the Papua New Guinea Region. Their existence also received open rejection by a number of Community Leaders of Papua New Guinea, for the existence of the Free Papua separatists in their territory.
Ray Tanji, who is a community leader in Wutung, Vanimo, West Sepik Province, which borders directly with Skouw district, Jayapura, Indonesia, asked the authorities to repatriate the Free Papua KKB to the Jayapura region.
In a radio interview, Ray Tanji stated that the presence of the KKB in Papua New Guinea had caused many problems for residents living on the border.
Ray asked the government of Papua New Guinea to get rid of the KKB people from Vanimo, because they were the ones who had been considered as trouble makers in the border regions so far.
Ray Tanji also appealed to the Papua New Guinea apparatus to investigate the presence and activities of the Papua KKB elements in order to maintain the security of local residents.
On October 1, there was a reported armed clash between the Indonesian military and elements associated with the Free Papua Movement.
As a result of the incident, the authorities immediately closed the border access between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, in Skouw-Wutung, Muara Tami District, Jayapura.
Commander of Task Force (Dansatgas) Border Security (Pamtas) RI-PNG from Yonif 713 / ST Major Inf Dony Gredinan
According to him, the sound of gunfire was heard several times at 06.00 CET causing concern among border residents. Major Doni also denied that Indonesian security forces had been shot.
Meanwhile on Friday, October 4, 2019, Wutung residents agreed to petition the PNG Government to relocate refugees from Papua who now live in Wutung and other areas on the west coast of Vanimo.
The petition, intended to address security risks for refugees and local residents at the border.
Local community leaders have also stated, as long as there are refugees in the area, local residents remain vulnerable to attacks from the authorities.
Schools are closed and public transportation is requested not to take PNG passengers who will leave for the Market Limit located in the Unitary Republic of Indonesia.
Residents also reported armed clashes between the Indonesian military and the KKB occurring around the Market Limit.
The group calling itself the West Papuan Revolutionary Army (WPRA) claimed responsibility for the contact.
During this time activities across the border both by land and sea occurred around the northern coast of Papua New Guinea near Jayapura. Under normal circumstances, at least 100 Papuan New Guinea residents enter Jayapura and experience a rapid increase on market days in the Skouw district, near the border.
We also know that so far it has not only been a combat strategy pursued by the TNI, but also a persuasive approach so that the KKB members want to return to the Republic of Indonesia.
The TNI also ensured that it could take persuasive steps if the group headed by Egianus Kogoya had the good faith to surrender and expressed readiness to join the Republic of Indonesia.
The KKB movement will certainly still continue, that is why the TNI troops will always be on standby.
Previously, we certainly knew that Papua New Guinea truly supported the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia and rejected the referendum on West Papua.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, admitted that he had established communication with the government of Papua New Guinea related to the support of a referendum on West Papua.
Retno ensured that the Papua New Guinea government supported West Papua under the control of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
He said, support for West Papua was under the authority of the Republic of Indonesia, which was delivered directly by the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.
The existence of the KKB has in fact disturbed many elements, even neighboring countries also felt the impact.
The soft approach and Hard Approach approach also seems to need to be optimized by the TNI apparatus, those who want independence on behalf of Free Papua, certainly show resistance to the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia.
In addition, the TNI apparatus should have been able to sniff out weapons suppliers for the KKB, and could narrow the space for weapons suppliers and ammunition for the KKB so that the movements of the separatist organization would not be increasingly troubling.
) * The writer is a Papuan student living in Yogyakarta