Cidiss.co, Jakarta – Director of The Indonesia Intelligence Institute, Ridlwan Habib, assessed that the labeling of the armed criminal group (KKB) or the Free Papuan organization (OPM) as a terrorist separatist group (KST) has been effective. With this label, law enforcement officers do not hesitate to move.
“Now we see that not only KST in the field but also its donors are now being arrested. There are even politicians who have started to be arrested,” said Ridlwan at the Trijaya Hot Topic Evening event with the theme “Law Enforcement of Papuan Separatist Groups”, Tuesday (29/6/2021).
Ridlwan added, the terrorist label against KST with a clause in Law Number 5 of 2018 reflects the government has been firm against this group. In fact, this law does not only ensnare KST but also its supporters.
“I think that with the Terrorism Law, they can be investigated in the sense of participating in acts of terrorism, supporting let alone campaigning for a movement like this. It could be subject to an article clause in Law number 5 of 2018, article 13A or it could also be subject to article 14, so participating in the operation , acts of terrorism propaganda. The penalty is 4 years, “he said.
According to Ridlwan, this law is a challenge for law enforcement officers to arrest those involved in KST.
“I mentioned, for example, Veronika Koman. She is active as an arbitrator. If she is not arrested, people will think, you are free, those who have campaigned for Papuan independence, campaigned for suppression by the TNI. Why is there no legal process,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Expert Assistant to Deputy V of the Presidential Staff Office, Mufti Makarim, said that the handling of KKB as KST is part of restoring security in mountainous areas, especially those that have often been the location of acts of violence from these groups.
“The government must take measures that are measurable in nature, specific in location, then the framework of operations is also specific to the problems or developments in the situation that are happening in the area,” said Mufti.
The KKB in recent years has shifted the pattern of attacks from attacking the security forces to civilians and civilian facilities. The attack has taken the form of an alarming thing and then it is said that they have taken actions that lead to terror.
“Of course to be able to arrive at law enforcement whose nomenclature is criminal acts of terrorism as regulated in Law number 5 of 2018 further deepening is needed because the criminal elements according to the law must be fulfilled. So if they do not meet the criminal elements then their actions will actually be processed by law with the provisions of the existing law,” he explained.